Music Lessons in Mc Gaw Park, IL

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Music Keyboard

One of my favorite parts of my musical journey is having the opportunity to share my experiences with others through education. For the last four years, I have worked with the Academic Center for Tutoring (ACT) at Columbia College Chicago to bring practical and fun lessons in music theory/aural skills, piano, trumpet, composition, and production. The ACT was located in the heart of the Chicago Loop and I would work with students who have never seen sheet music before (completely reliant on their ears) and students with a classical background that struggled to play without sheet music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Saxophone Clarinet Recorder Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

I never imagined God had plans for me to be a music teacher. I had taken piano lessons for about 15 years (later adding recorder, guitar, violin, clarinet, saxophone, and cello) and was working as a front desk receptionist in a music school when a teacher notified us of an unexpected long-term absence. My boss--who had known me for almost 20 years, and who taught me piano-- approached me and said she would like ME to teach the affected students. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching methods involve a mix of real music, etudes, dexterity exercises, and rudimentary technical drilling. In each of these lessons I choose in one of the aforementioned areas the one I feel is the most pressing and in need of improvement. I am very strict about students using their metronomes to practice what I teach them. My view is that playing a song or drill slowly and in time with a metronome is better than playing it at the proper tempo incorrectly. Read More

Instruments: Voice

For my first class with my students, I typically would get to know them in terms of their goals, experience as a singer, and get to know where they are in their pursuit of those goals they set for themselves. After which, I would do warm-up exercises, vowel, and consonant work, and establish fundamentals of vocal techniques for the desired genre. Once the student feels more comfortable with their voice, I would suggest an introductory repertoire (usually an Art Song) according to their age, level, voice type, and their personality. Read More

Instruments: Violin Music

My teaching experience dates back to my college days, as I began teaching private lessons part time 6 years ago, and have been consistently teaching students for the last 5 years. Encouraging regular practice on a consistent schedule is one of the key points I like to emphasize for younger students, as it tends to help the student progress and gain a passion for the instrument. I've also found that a combination of classical and modern music can go a long way in helping students enjoy the violin and motivate them to practice and continue to learn. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

Depending on the age group of the student, my methods vary. With children, I will usually start by trying to gauge their musical interest and develop a strategy from there. Usually, this involves learning basic chord forms and progressions, until they are ready to start learning a bit of theory, and therefore how to solo. For adults, I simply ask them about their musical interests and tastes, and ask them what their ultimate goal is, and then set shorter goals to help achieve the ultimate goal. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

I always seek to cultivate a relationship and atmosphere of trust, and fun, while at the same time maintaining high expectations It's so important to make sure a student looks forward to lessons, and is inspired to practice and prepare. Read More