Guitar Lessons in Wood Dale, IL

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

With nearly 25 years of music-related experience and more than 15 years as an instructor, I have taught a multitude of students, young and old, and within a broad age range and abilities. Moreover, I have worked with the United Way of Santa Barbara in the summer of 2014 as a guitar instructor and was instrumental in developing a guitar program with the City of Pismo Beach in 2013. While working in Pismo Beach, my dedication to the students, most of whom were young children, compelled me to reached out to music instrument vendors and successfully solicited for donations of instruments and equipment to the city’s music program. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Trumpet

I am not a teacher of "cookie cutter" lessons. I like to consult with parents and students before preparing an individually-tailored lesson plan for each of my students. It's my goal to engage students through music they already love, and (at the same time) introduce them to new music ideas and musical concepts/challenges. Building early repoire between teacher and student is crucial to building a working knowledge for performing music later on. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I like to adapt all of my lessons to fit the unique the goals of each student. For younger students, I prioritize building a firm foundation of music fundamentals before diving too far into instrumental study. I am a fan of the Suzuki school of thought that music is a language. For older students and adults, I work towards more specific goals that the student has. In the event that students or parents want classical instruction that emphasizes musical literacy, I start with the Hal Leonard guitar method and progress to the William Leavitt books once the student is capable. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My style of tutelage differs from many other teachers in that I place as much emphasis improvisation as on fundamental techniques. Etudes are fun and all (really, they are), but nothing beats having the ability to ... This, of course, entails important theory elements and special techniques, when needed. I have taught students since high school, and all throughout college was a guitar teacher; even TAing for special guitar courses over the summer. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I've played music for over half my life now, and guitar has shaped my life for the better in ways I've never thought possible. Throughout that time, I've taught lessons on and off for the past 7 years. I have always enjoyed teaching, and passing on my knowledge and hopefully my passion for playing the guitar and songwriting has always been a wonderful experience. One of my favorite things about teaching is that when I dissect every element of my playing to be able to teach it to someone else, by the time I've shown someone else a new technique, I've found that my own playing improves. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Ukulele Music Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I have been passionate about music my entire life. I’ll never forget when I sat down to play drum set for the very first time as a kid and floored my parents. It came so naturally, I started playing funk, and they immediately bought me a drum set. I have since learned guitar, ukulele, and for the past decade or so have played traditional West African djembe and dunun (see the video). Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Clarinet Bass Guitar Synthesizer French Horn

For the past 20 years, I've studied and performed with keyboards, guitars and woodwind instruments while exploring a very wide variety of music ranging from classical and rock to jazz and avant-garde. Expanding and sharing that knowledge with other people in a helpful and friendly manner is something that I consummately enjoy- especially if they're beginning where I once was. My education includes a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition from DePaul University, and I've been working on my Music Education Certificate at UMSL since August 2014. Read More