Guitar Lessons in Westfield, NJ

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For my students who are starting out as beginners, I want to make sure that I go at the pace at which the student feels most comfortable. If a student feels uneasy about the pace of the lesson then I will scale it back. The last thing I want to do is make my students second guess the reasons for why they picked up a guitar in the first place. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I began teaching guitar part-time about 6 years ago as a side job, on top of my then-main gig as a grocery store clerk. Slowly but surely, however, I added more and more students to my roster and was able to phase out the grocery store job, and today I teach guitar full time! There are three main components I look for in a student: passion, potential, and diligence. If a student has the passion for music, the potential to get better, and the diligence to put in the time and work, the sky is the limit! Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

We set goals based on aspirations and ability. That said, my lessons are structured, but flexible, rigorous, but fun. I encourage regular practice times, include practice plans, and talk with students about how to practice. Frequently, students determine the flow of the lessons - what we emphasize or de-emphasize. We also talk quite a bit about what the student finds interesting. Whenever possible, I use this to fine-tune my teaching to keep student progress steady and satisfying. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Accordion Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Lute Fiddle Double Bass Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

The key to accomplished lesson program is to wrap the lessons around what a students interests are. For example, if you like rock, then you should study it intently, but also learn the theory of composition, scales, and chord patterns and progressions. Also, one should learn reaning note levels as tab has taken over the industry and while much easier, there always come a time when you may be required to read notes. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Synthesizer Music Keyboard

I generate an individualized course of study for each student. Beginning students typically begin with the Faber method, to make sure they develop a strong foundation for future study. As they progress, I begin to introduce age-appropriate repertoire. My more advanced students focus on musicianship technique as well as repertory. Depending on the goals for each student, I will work on jazz, classical, or contemporary styles. I also love working with students on concepts for improvisation and composition! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar

I typically like to start lessons with a warm up, and this is a good opportunity to see what level a student's technique is at. I immediately address anything that I see to be problematic in the student's technique, and we start working on ways to improve it as soon as possible. These can be simple exercises and when I see that my students are improving in these exercises and that their technique has gotten better, I always make sure that they also notice the difference and give them a sense of accomplishment. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Orchestral Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Robbie is a multi-instrumentalist performer, teacher, and composer from Somerville, NJ. He actively plays out with the bands Ross Griswold and the Second Line, Woke Robot, Wig Party, Castle Lane, and more - spanning genres from rock, funk, New Orleans and R&B to Afro-Peruvian jazz fusion and electronic music. He’s also the music director for Antioch Baptist Church in East Orange, NJ. Actively using Ableton Live to perform and compose, he is a sought-after music programming guru, able to teach and solve complex audio and midi setups for live bands and music producers. Read More