Music Lessons in Greenbrier, TN

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

My life's work has been focused on my enthusiastic and passionate approach to music. I started piano lessons when I was 5 years old, and have studied and played the guitar since I was 10 years old. I have a specific appreciation for the skills required to play instruments on professional recordings. I started my own recording studio when I was 18 years old, and have been making records ever since. I have sang and played a variety of instruments on many recordings, including acoustic and electric guitar, bass, pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, ukelele, piano, and organ. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Music

For beginning students, I typically start with lessons I have developed to get them on the right track . Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce bass parts that are appropriate for their first performance with other musicians. Ultimately every student is different and has different needs and expectations. With that in mind I try to find out what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter their ability level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Saxophone Synthesizer Keyboard

For beginner students, we start off using the beginning books from "Piano Adventures" by Faber Faber, and published by Hal Leonard. They learn to read music, improvise, music theory, and play all style of music. A typical lesson for an elementary school student would be 10 min of playing assigned pieces that they've practiced for the week, 10 min of new songs for the next week, 5 min of music theory, and 5 min of some sort of musical game. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I studied music in middle school and high school through wind ensemble, jazz band, marching band, show choir, and private lessons. During this time I also attended music camps at McNally Smith and Berklee College of Music. I then moved to Nashville and graduated from Belmont University's School of Music. In Nashville, I have played with many independent artists across multiple genres as well as toured with bands across the country. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Djembe

Often times when it comes to music instruction some misleading statements come up. A popular misconception is that playing a instrument is all muscle memory. This is not a complete or true statement. Muscle memory is only a part, it is the recall mechanism of what we have practiced. If you learn something wrong you will recall it wrong. Having a fundamental understanding of how drumming works can make the experience of learning to play great for the student. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Djembe

For jazz, I teach out of John Riley's, "The Art of Bop Drumming." For Cuban and Brazilian percussion, I teach out of Ed Uribe's, "The Essence of Afro-Cuban Percussion and Drum Set," and "The Essence of Brazilian Percussion and Drum Set." For Rudimental Snare Drum I teach out of Charley Wilcoxon's, "The All-American Drummer," and for Concert Snare Drum I teach out of Mitchell Peters' Snare Drum Studies Books. For Mallet Percussion, I teach out of Morris Goldenberg's, "The Modern School For Xylophone, Marimba and Vibraphone." Read More

Instruments: Piano Synthesizer Keyboard

It is so rewarding to see a students eyes light up when they learn a new musical thought or concept! All students are different from one another, some have a harder time understanding certain elements in music, everyone has a different personality with strengths and weaknesses. So I ALWAYS treat my students as an individual. Comparing any student with another can damage the self confidence of the one that may be struggling. Read More