Music Lessons in Litchfield Park, AZ

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

Music education creates students that leave the classroom with an appreciation for music, creating an environment where students not only want to enjoy music, but also have the desire to create and the passion to educate others through music. This becomes increasingly difficult to achieve, however, when music education is often not even remotely accessible. It is an unfortunate reality that music is a subject that requires a lot of initial investment - students and their parents must find an instrument for them to play, the proper equipment (such as mouthpieces, reeds, strings, etc.) for them to be successful, music for them to play, and an instructor that is knowledgeable in their particular instrument. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Cello Drums Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass Music Keyboard Djembe

I have worked with students aging from 6 with no training to 55 with 30 years of training. Every student is different and presents unique challenges. I find that the less a student know the easier it is to see improvement. Often with older players there are fundamental basics that are working against them that need correction. You can not unlearn something, only learn something knew. The most important thing in music education is starting them right because muscle memory is extremly hard to change. Read More

Instruments: Piano

Once a lesson plan has been established with a student, I progress them through each lesson with specific goals. My goal is to infuse the student with understanding but also wonder and awe as to how music is created. There is always something worth praising in a student, and I am always sure to do that in our lessons after every performance. I always make sure we discuss (1) what did we like about that performance, and (2) what are things we could do to make it better. Read More

Instruments: Drums Synthesizer

Intermediate and advanced students "homework" will be even more personally tailored to their playing where I would teach whole broken down songs, advanced rhythms, advanced solos, how to actually tune your drums, recording and a lot more. I also encourage and can help with writing your own music. Composition plays a huge part in how we learn music because if we can't figure out how to be creative with our instrument sooner rather than later we sometimes lose interest. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet Keyboard Electric Guitar

I generally like to start my beginning students with lesson plans from the book" The Secrets of playing Piano by Ear" by Jermaine Griggs. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their first recital performance. I try to focus on what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lesson fresh and FUN! Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I absolutely love watching a student who has tried to understand a concept suddenly light up, smile, and say, "Oh, now I get it!" I believe that a teacher should try a variety of ways to help a student understand and "own" their musical knowledge. I set high standards for my students, starting where they are and encourgaing them to go beyond what they think is their personal best. I have students write goal and wish lists down throughout the year, setting small, reachable goals and then larger goals that may take longer to reach. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

For younger students who are in a school band program, I like to use the materials they use in class and to add outside material they find interesting. I find students are more motivated to practice and develop when we start with something that interests them, and then to expose them to other styles of music later on. For older or more advanced students, I like to focus on aspects of musicianship that will help them be successful musicians, such as ear-training, theory, composition, performance practice, improvisation (if the student wishes) and transcribing. Read More