Music Lessons in Abbott Park, IL

Instruments: Violin Viola

I tailor the lessons to students' unique goals. No matter the age or experience, I try to have a continuous dialogue between the student and myself about their progress and what direction they'd like to head in to make sure they are engaging with material that suits their needs and goals at the same time. As long as we are working toward a common goal together, I'm happy to accommodate any particular goals a student may have, as long as we are still working toward proper technique and expressivity. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Violin Bass Guitar Harmonica

The first lesson is always partly an interview so I can understand exactly what the student's goals are. I typically establish good posture and breathing habits (or bowing and fingering, if violin) first and then move on to essential warm-up exercises. Those exercises then become their regular homework, to hopefully be practiced multiple times a week or if possible, every day. I remind the student of breathing and posture regularly - good habits are the goal! Read More

Instruments: Cello

I believe that playing the cello should be effortless natural . A student will play their best when they feel at ease with the instrument and discover how naturally and physically rewarding playing the cello can be. The materials I use with students depend completely on the student’s current playing level. With complete beginners I tend to work from the Suzuki Books or Hal Leonard’s Essential Element books and in addition supply a collection of specialized exercises, scales and warm ups focused on developing fluid technique from the start. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For every student I always start with the basics. What are the basics? Well, first and most important for getting you started is open chords. That along with pentatonic scales will really help to develope finger dexterity and get the student adjusted to proper hand and finger positioning on the guitar. During that same period we will practice strumming patterns and exercises to fully bring the use of both hands up to a level that allows us to play simple songs. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

After college, I worked as a guitar instructor and lecturer for Capital University's Community Music School under the direction of renowned music educator Dr. Rebbeca Johnson. I also worked for 8 years as a guitar teacher, transcriber, music education consultant, and free-lance writer for a popular subscription guitar website. During this time, I've operated my own private guitar instruction studio while also performing and recording. I love nothing more than seeing my students succeed! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Violin Mandolin Electric Violin Fiddle

We do this- music- to enrich our lives, make us more intelligent and give us inspiration, and this in turn gives other people beauty and inspiration. I'm teaching and playing because I love doing it, and it benefits all facets of my life. That's what I want to see in my students as well. But because we're happy doing it, doesn't always mean it should be easy. We have to practice, practice, and keep practicing. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music

I believe each person is uniquely different in this life and that goes for music too. For piano beginners, I like to use the standard Faber curriculum, if you're more advanced we can explore adding some more challenging books such as the Hanon scales, Junior Hanon for beginners, etc. I like to supplement core pieces with scales, technical books, and ad hoc assignments that I sometimes have students pick. For voice, it will very much depend on your goals and where you are at vocally, but my voice teaching style is very much grounded in healthy technique and learning about vocal pedagogy, no matter what genre of music you want to sing! Read More