Music Lessons in Gay Street, PA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I have experience with speech and voice therapy, as well as training in voice pedagogy, Alexander's Technique, and Body Mapping which I feel is important to include when teaching voice. Also, I believe it is up to the student or the student's parent(s) if lesson plans should be actively persued, and if they are then each student would be analyzed and have a unique plan that includes a combination of my experiences and training.   Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums

I first began teaching in 2012 with a brief year-long stint teaching (drums and guitar) at Sam Ash. I took a few years off and began teaching private lessons again in 2018. During COVID i was teaching lessons via skype which enabled me to continue online lessons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

It is important to be musically ambidextrous: chances are, in your band's rehearsal, your other musicians will share ideas using tabs, not traditional notation. You can be the best note-reader on planet Earth, but if you cannot communicate a language others use, you find yourself stuck. I always incorporate music that my student likes to listen to, and frequently request Spotify or iTunes playlists for reference. I try to adapt pop songs into my curriculum (from their playlists) to teach chord theory and songwriting structure, and encourage students to write their own music. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone

My teaching experience began in college. I quickly realized that I most enjoyed helping people on an individual basis. In addition to performing in myriad musical idioms, I have made a career of private teaching, having conducted over 26,000 lessons since 2001. My performance experience weaves its way into many lessons, as I am able to share “real-life” experiences about the practicality of the material that we study. Many of my students have gone on to become performers, band directors, and scholarship winners. Read More

Instruments: Voice

For younger students, I tend to focus on the production of breath and basic sounds as they begin to grow into their body. This is to ensure that the baseline technique is there as they find how their instrument, the voice, is growing into their developing selves. For adult students of any technique, I prefer to start with basic vocal exercises to test the agility and flexibility of the voice so that I have an understanding of how their matured voice functions. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Clarinet Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music

My teaching is very student-driven. I try to keep the students interests as a primary goal in keeping their interest level and so that they can progress in a musical situation. When they are interested in what they are learning, they strive for success. I try to acknowledge their successes and accomplishments which helps keep them learning and wanting to learn more. The best way to learn music is to teach it effectively, and I ALWAYS am learning from my students in a variety of ways, whether it be a new group that I'm not familiar with, or another style or genre that is new and fresh. Read More

Instruments: Piano Clarinet Keyboard

For beginning students, I typically utilize Alfred's Basic Lesson Books to introduce basic theory and concepts. These books incorporate fill-in-the-blank and performance-based assessments to ensure understanding. I also create customized flashcards, worksheets, and games to provide fun and interactive opportunities for individualized learning. As students advance, I assign scales and Hanon finger exercises to strengthen finger strength and skill. While I advocate learning classics from composers like Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart, I also encourage students to pick popular music that they want to learn. Read More