Music Lessons in Hillside, IL

Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Trombone

I began my teaching career as a private lesson teacher in 2000. Then I advanced into the private schools from grades k-12 from 2001-2003. During this time I taught children that had special needs. They became one of my best students. I taught in public schools as well in 2008. I did private lessons for six years in between from 2003-09. Read More

Instruments: Flute

I will begin by asking a student what their goals are when it comes to playing the flute. I will base my teaching material and instructions methods off of this consultation and tune specifically to each student. If a student comes in knowing nothing, I will start with the very basics of the instrument (instrument set up and care, sound production, fingerings etc.). once they have the building blocks, I can them begin teaching them the specifics of whatever genre they want to focus on, be it classical, jazz, soul, hip hop etc. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet

Regardless of ability, I think it is important to cater to the goals of my students, and help them achieve whatever they want in their own playing, whether it is a difficult piece to learn, wanting better articulation or increasing range and endurance. Whatever the student wants to learn with trumpet, I can help them with. Reaching a high level of playing has required struggle and effort on my part, but my teachers were able to consistently motivate me to become a better player to do this. Read More

Instruments: Voice Music

I have been teaching lessons for over 5 years, starting when I was in college. I encourage stringent and regular practicing outside of lesson times, and am always available via text or email for students to ask me questions. I firmly believe that classical technique is essential to creating safe and beautiful sound, and can be adapted into any style the singer wants to focus on. Every student learns differently, and I treat every student as an individual in that capacity. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I break up lessons into three parts - warmups/breathing exercises, learning a song, and acting the song. Warmups prepare the voice to sing without any strain. I also implement vocal exercises during warmups where we work on range and quality. During the first lesson with the student, I get to know what they want to work towards in terms of repertoire and suggest a few pieces. We will typically add one or two songs per week in order to build a solid repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Violin

For my entire teaching career thus far, I have taught the Suzuki method. I find the sequence of pieces in each book is quite suitable for a young musician. However, I do believe note reading and general music theory should be incorporated into lessons right from the beginning, especially if the child does not have a background in piano. In addition to Suzuki, I like to integrate various exercises and scales into the lesson and daily practice routine as well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute

I am a professional saxophonist specializing in Jazz performance and have spent many years playing in cities such as Chicago, Boston, New York City, and Rochester, New York. I double on flute and am proficient in that instrument as well. I have taught students for several years now and have taken classes in pedagogy and teaching skills. In addition to the jazz musician side of me, I am also a music therapist. Read More