Music Lessons in Gurnee, IL

Instruments: Piano

I believe students must first acquire competence in theory and proper technique, followed by artistic expression. My teaching style is encouraging, patient, thorough, nurturing, engaging, challenging and fun. To progress, students must practice daily. I let my students know that quality and focus of practice is far more important than duration. They learn to isolate 2 or 3 measures, and repeat them slowly until accuaracy is achieved consistently. I convey my love of teaching by: complimenting students on achieving goals, smiling, being energetic, making sure the student lets me know when he/she does not understand a concept and re-explaing it until it is understood with gentleness and patience, bringing in adjunct music from which the student, after hearing me play several excerpts, can select several pieces, playing duets with the student, and encouraging students to compose their own songs by ear, which I later notate. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

I love seeing my students excited about music. I like students to bring in music they feel passionate about so we can break it down and start to understand what makes it work. I find it important to set goals, adjust goals when things arent working and celebrate them when they are. Because of the great instruction I have had in my life, I understand the importance of being a teacher. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder Music

I typically answer questions with a question of my own. My goal is to always make the student THINK about what they're doing when making music - at all levels. There are few things as rewarding than seeing my students learn. I've learned that everyone enjoys learning new things and especially if it's a difficult idea to grasp. I strive to instill a thirst for knowledge in all of my students because this thirst drives musical growth! Read More

Instruments: Voice

For Vocalists, the very foundation of proper singing will be taught: Posture, Breath Management, Muscle/Core Control, and Vowel Placement. These are the basics of good singing, in any genre.  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.  But don't worry! I wont get overtly technical. I manage to teach the basics without you trying to multitask 100 different muscle groups while singing. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I started playing guitar when I was 13. My parents couldn't afford lessons so I had to teach myself how to play. It wasn't a train wreck, but it wasn't pretty either! After a few years of trial and error I finally had my first guitar lesson and realized I was doing everything wrong! After that, I trained hard, unlearned many bad habits, and became a more complete guitar player. I also found out how much I loved music and wanted to make it my career! Read More

Instruments: Piano

Alfred Publishing piano courses (both older and newer), Faber and Faber, Bastien, Edna Mae Burnam, and the Hal Leonard course have all been among my pre-published methods that I have used over the years. I have also adopted some technic content from elsewhere. For example, the Zion Conservatory of Music, where I taught from 2004 to 2018, uses a couple of different customized scale patterns for first- and second-year students. A book I have used with intermediate students is a Conus Russian piano method edited by James and Susan McKeever, who taught the Parkside piano pedagogy courses. Read More