Music Lessons in Melville, NY

Instruments: Violin Viola

I'm a career string quartet musician who loves both performing and teaching. I graduated with a Master of Music degree from McGill University in Viola Performance. I've been lucky to have many amazing opportunities so far: I've performed in Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar; in Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan; and in Salzburg, Austria (the birthplace of Mozart!) as a member of the Milton String Quartet. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I guided these students to feel the construction of the keyboard, and understand basic piano knowledge such as scales, theories. They were not piano majors, but still I wanted them to be able to think like pianists, which would be extremely beneficial for their future musical career. I interacted with the students as much as possible, as I prefer this type of classroom as a pose to hated one-direction, silent classes. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

Having had so many teachers myself, I have a very broad understanding of what makes technique work and not work. I think developing my students ears and teaching them not only how to play music, but why music is the way it is by far the most important and invaluable part of my lessons depending upon my student's goals. If a student can understand why the songs I teach them are written the way they are, and are able to identify certain structures in a song, they then have the ability to teach themselves something I haven't yet, maybe develop their own opinions on individual songs, and even write their own! Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder

I typically start beginner students on the Rubank Elementary Method books for saxophone, clarinet, or flute. These books are a great way to introduce the basic mechanics of the instrument, as well as reading music. I generally like to branch out from the method books as soon as possible, by supplementing the basic reading with other technical studies and pieces. For adults and more advanced students, I like to steer the focus more in the direction of what they want to learn, while still teaching the proper fundamentals of the instrument! Read More

Instruments: Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

For beginning students of any age, I focus a lot on technique and building good habits. I will always use Stick Control by G.L. Stone, which has great material for a beginner drummer/percussionist. This is a stage where I will lightly introduce concepts of beat, tempo and rhythm, to help establish a musical vocabulary. Once I've determined that they have a good grasp of time and rhythm, I slowly begin to introduce rudiments and reinforce them lesson by lesson. Read More

Instruments: Cello

For beginners, I usually start with Hal Leonard's Essential Elements books and Suzuki books 1-3 and supplement them with technical exercises. Once the student is comfortable with the fundamentals, I introduce appropriate cello solos and etude books. For children, I like to assign a well-rounded repertoire from various time periods and styles. Students of all ages can request to learn music that they find exciting. With adult students, I prefer to let the student direct repertoire choices according to their particular musical passions. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

I first ask each student to play for me so I can properly gauge the student's ability. From there, I assign practice pieces and songs that work on the techniques that require the most work. I have used this method for years and all of my students have found this to be the easiest and fastest way to improve. The practice pieces I write are written in the genre that the student wishes to practice. Read More