Music Lessons in Cottage Grove, WI

Instruments: Violin Viola Mandolin Electric Violin Fiddle

For beginners, I recommend the first two Suzuki books as they are a useful way of learning basic technique with a simple, song-by-song approach. For intermediate to advanced students, I utilize scales and etudes from Schradiek and Jacob Dont, and strongly recommend that they look into the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin by J.S. Bach. It is absolutely important for a professional musician to have good technique, including intonation, extreme agility with the right hand, and good tone production overall, and these are the three things which my methods focus on primarily. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For younger students, I tend to make learning the guitar more enjoyable and fun. Since younger kids need motivation, I prefer to let them play with accompaniment in order to make the lesson and their playing more enjoyable. For more advanced students, I believe that introducing them to variety of music styles is essential to build their musical personality and let them decide what style they want to learn. Finally, I encourage my students to perform in public, so they can build their confidence and realize the great outcome of their hard work. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar

I have found nothing in my professional life more satisfying that developing lasting relationships with my students. Watching someone grow in their ability to play music, especially music they love, is an experience that is second to none. I will help you become the musician you long to be, and hopefully point you in some new and exciting directions along the way. We embark on this journey together, and no matter where we end up it will be a wonderful ride getting there! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Flute

I love teaching music to kids from one to ninety-two! Ive been teaching, playing, writing and producing music forever, and my passion for all things music just keeps growing and growing. I think learning and playing music should be fun not another dreary detail in schedules that can sometimes be filled with dreary details. I love to instill and nurture a lifetime love of music. Because Ive been involved in the real world of the music industry I can teach guitar and flute students, not only how to read and play but to improvise and play. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

Besides being a drum teacher I have also been certified to teach staff how to work with people who have disabilities, and that teaching experience, while completely different from that of teaching drums, has helped me become a better over all instructor. I have had much success on a regional and local level and during the 2000-2002 era, toured internationally with a group called "Gabriel's Harp". I would love to bring all of this to your student, no matter what age they are or what goals they are looking to acheive. Read More

Instruments: Clarinet

I like to start beginning students with a combination of sheet music and by rote teaching. If a student comes to me with method books or other materials, we will start with those and I will suggest other materials as appropriate. I often have more advanced students work through various scales books and Rose etudes, and whatever other type of music interests them. I utilize duets often in lessons to work on sight reading and blend, tuning, and leadership. Read More

Instruments: Violin

I like to teach with the music from the Suzuki books and then the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, out of an interest in teaching with actual music as opposed to scales or etudes, but I also introduce repertoire from outside those books, and isolate sections of standard violin repertoire for learning. This has the advantage of always keeping music in our ears as we play (by this I mean, we do not lose the sound of music in the sound of the violin as I feel can happen in overtly technical exercise), which is essential to growing an authentic relationship to one's sound and, by extension, to learning new ways to improving one's sound. Read More