Guitar Lessons in Valley Township, PA

Instruments: Guitar

The number one question I asked my students is "what have you been listening to lately?" I find it very important to incorporate a students musical taste into the instruction. If we can gain the same musical progress working on a song they've never heard of, vs.something from one oftheir favorite bands...well, we are going to play the songthey like. Every lesson will end with a new andrealistic goal, and ultimately we will be working on givingthe studentthe tools to befacilitate theirown advancement. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Music Acoustic Guitar

I tend to start beginners off with a typical book, usually by Mel Bay or Hal Leonard. I find these books to provide a good basis for music reading and building the required skill set to master their instrument. In addition to those materials, I find music through various on-line sites and from my inventory that students are interested in playing and compliments their abilities. For my adult students, I curtail the lessons to focus on the songs they want to play and understand their goals for playing at this stage in their life. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Clarinet

I started teaching private lessons in college, about four or five years ago. I have taken students on several different instruments, mainly saxophone, piano and guitar. I find that it is important to encourage students to play and practice the type of music they enjoy, and to have fun performing and learning. I also believe that students should play in recitals, bands, and get other performance experiences while taking private lessons in order to improve their overall musicianship. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums

My methods are in service of the cultivation of interest. Mainly I want the student to focus on learning how to play the music they want to play. The key to cultivating interest is to nurture the social, communicative and fun elements of playing music; associating the laughter and exhilaration with learning. I'm a self taught musician - I know that music is intuitive enough to learn without getting overly text-book about it, and I think focusing too much on the book at an early age can turn away potential musicians. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet Synthesizer Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Oboe Bassoon English Horn Acoustic Guitar

For my beginning piano students, I emphasize the twelve major and minor scales with proper fingering, first one octave and then two octaves. These exercises strengthens fingers and create more familiarity with the keyboard. I use the book, Level 1 The Older Beginner Piano Course by James Bastien and the companion book, Musicianship for the Older Beginner. I have seen results when these books are used in tandem. The student increases in technique and start to master music theory simultaneously. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

For any student that I teach, I always start by finding out the student's primary motivation and interests and then I develop the teaching style appropriate to their needs. Often times, beginning adult learners are simply interested in learning some songs so beginning with chord progressions to build up confidence and have them playing something recognizable within a few short lessons. For beginner students that are interested in theory, I typically start with the Major, Minor and Pentatonic Scales and then go into Chord Progressions in various Keys. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums

My teaching style revolves around the individual student. Every student must practice daily and enjoy practicing, so astudent's success comes from my encouragement and instruction. Each student brings a desire to learn how to play an instrument and my goal is to assist them in understanding and being able to playthat instrument. I conistently tailor my instruction to the student's ability and also remain consistent in my standards of teaching. Read More