Music Lessons in Boys Town, NE

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I always want my students to have a very positive experience taking lessons and never to feel as if there is too much pressure put on them. Every student is different so I don't have a specific teaching formula. I always ensure that the student is moving at a comfortable pace for them while still being challenged and learning new things. I am always quick to acknowledge every small bit of progress that they make and focus on the positives rather than the negatives. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Euphonium French Horn Tuba Music

My general approach to teaching is designed to help students develop their musical independence. I give students a certain level of information, and then lead them down the implications of what I have told them. While memorization is important, rote memorization without process or thought is not the most effective way to encode information or muscle memory into long term memory. The method I employ is meant to help with that. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I prefer to instruct out of the James Bastien method books for the student's main lesson assignments. However, I also encourage students to bring and play out of books that inspire and motivate them individually. This keeps lessons lighthearted and keeps the student interested in the next lesson in my experience. I set realistic weekly and monthly goals for my students so I'm able to gauge how the student has performed, as well as how they should be instructed going forward. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

For beginning trumpet students, I start with a combination of Clark and Arbank Technical studies for a formal structure. A majority of the technical teaching I do is based on these two methods. I also implement techniques from the Sheridan and Pilafian Breathing Gym to establish the fundamental mechanics of generating sound. For all students, regardless of ability, lessons will have some foundation in the breath and the mechanics of breathing. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I believe in practice and visualization. In addition to physical practice, watching and hearing someone perform something is more than beneficial to learning and really getting those difficult concepts. It’s very important to list out what works best for each person. Some people are visual while others are audio focused while some are both. Many students move faster than others. A key component is to keep good notes and track what was easy and what was difficult. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For beginning and intermediate students, I offer my own rudiment book to start learning on a practice pad or snare drum. For learning drum set, I use a variety of books and resources. I will meet and discuss these options with each student to find the right book for them. For more advanced students, I have them transcribe entire songs from bands they enjoy. I create Spotify playlists for students so they can easily access a variety of styles of music. Read More