Music Lessons in Graceland, IL

Instruments: Drums

Two books every student should have in their arsenal Is "Stick Control" by George Stone and "Progressive Steps to Syncopation" by Ted Reed. I also want to guage each students likes so as to keep the lessons engaging and fun, but at the same time instilling a level of discipline. For more advanced students, id simply guage their abilities and tailor the lessons to challenge and get them to those next levels. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Keyboard

For adults, I like to assess their skills and goals individually and choose a program that will work best for them. I usually still stick with the Alfred's books, but there are combination levels geared toward older learners. VOICE: For voice students, I start with vocal exercises and conversations that help me to get a full picture of a student's abilities and needs. I then start with a comprehensive program of breath support awareness, pitch matching and intervals, vowel shape, vocal placement, and more depending on what kind of singing (musical theatre, rock, pop, etc.) they are interested in developing. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I like to rely both on method books and insights I have gained over the years. I believe that a student's familiarity with all the major and minor scales is an important goal to arrive at as soon as it could be achieved. Just about as important is a steady rhythm. So, I stress this too. When my student reaches a satisfactory level, I invite him or her to participate in a recital. Read More

Instruments: Voice

Teaching voice is something that I believe requires highly personalized lesson plans, and so there are books for which to acquire basic theory, note-reading, and sight-singing, but usually, lessons must be repertoire based, and conceptual. Students usually have an idea of certain songs they would like to learn, and I believe it is very important to enable them to sing what they like to sing. However, I will also suggest repertoire that they are unfamiliar with, or initially uncomfortable with to broaden their musical knowledge and appreciation, and also to address certain skill sets. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I am a four-year Guitar Performance graduate of Berklee College of Music where I was the first rock/metal guitarist to receive the "Jimi Hendrix Award." This award is given to the best guitarist at the school. At Berklee, I received private instruction from acclaimed guitarists and teachers. I've played and studied many styles of music ranging from classical, traditional, blues, country, rock, and metal. Besides teaching, I have a passion for songwriting and performance; while in Boston, I played and recorded with the melodic metal band Black Trip. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion

For beginning students, I like to stress fundamentals with a twist. I encourage my students to play along with music they like to keep them interested in what they are practicing. As the student progresses, I will either compose a short solo or provide a short solo in which they can apply fundamentals to. For intermediate and more advanced students, I like to let them guide their own instruction. After coming to me with topics they'd like to learn more about, I will provide exercises, musical examples, and pieces to help them assimilate what they have learned with me, to real-world examples. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I approach private music lessons centered around the student. Whether the student wants to learn a single song, a few different songs, or wants a complete ground-up experience starting with the most basic fundamentals, I can accommodate the students needs and wants. I will break beats down to the fundamental level and build from there in easy sections in order to comprehensively understand a specific rhythm, which makes learning much faster. Read More