Guitar Lessons in Utica, OH

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Synthesizer Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I began teaching private guitar lessons while I was attending Ohio State University. I was a teaching assistant while in graduate school. During my school days I thought of teaching music simply as a way to earn some money. After completing my college work I became a touring freelance musician, performing with widely-varying artists and an extremely wide range of style and genres. I noticed that, because of the excellent understanding of music I was given, I could easily go from one genre to another effortlessly, while most of the musicians with whom i played seemed to stay within one particular style or feel. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar

My teaching experience extends from my undergraduate years where I taught guitar at the Univeristy of Iowa. Since then, I have taught all age ranges of students, from age five onwards, both in person and online. My experience ranges from academic institutions such as The Ohio State University and Capital University, to workshops, lectures, and master classes.I set three primary goals for my teaching: to educate, challenge, and inspire students. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet Bass Guitar

I have a passion for music. I started on the piano when I was seven years old and I've never looked back. After spending years in grade school, junior high and high school learning and performing in the band program on trumpet and euphonium, I moved on to play euphonium in The Most Exciting Band in the Land, the Ohio University Marching 110! In the Marching 110 I played in front of thousands of people at Ohio University's Peden Stadium and at professional football games in Cincinnati and Buffalo. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Ukulele Double Bass Acoustic Guitar

When beginning teaching I typically assess the learners general attention span, natural strengths, and what is motivating for them. I complete a beginner piano assessment to find out how the learner is with pattern recognition, any previous knowledge they may have, and what type of instruction they respond best to. When I understand the learners least restrictive environment I will choose the type of notation we start with. This can be traditional sheet music, pop chords, or adapted notation that may consist of numbers, letters, and/or colors. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Djembe Acoustic Guitar

The material I teach covers scales, chords, and music theory. We can practice a variety of exercises that help improve your rhythm and dexterity. In order to tie everything together, I think it is important to play music with each other and along with recorded music as an example. Admittedly, the content of scales, chords, and music theory in itself can be dry. This is why I tend to customize how to practice something like a pentatonic minor scale. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching style is very personal. I feel the need to truly know my students in order to best help them progress. I like for my students to be open about concerns and weaknesses in their abilities. I try to help them to analyze their own technique rather than have me tell them directly as this will help them to progress outside on the lesson and therefore more quickly. The greatest feeling is when a student comes in already having an idea of where they want the lesson to go for that day. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I like to utilize many avenues of teaching and learning music. There are a handful of books I like to use for both beginner and advanced guitarists. The internet is a vast resource that contains just about anything you would want to know! Google and YouTube are great for learning songs, techniques and theory without need for a teacher or even an instrument. For intermediate to advanced players, I have some books, authors, guitarists and Internet personalities I might point to. Read More