Music Lessons in Merion, PA

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I continued on to practice regardless, but it was out of duty and not out of passion. Knowing those feelings and where they come from is key for a music educator, because it is important to know strategies to avoid replicating those situations in your own students. I frequently incorporate the student's musical tastes and choices into their lessons. If my student is at an age where they can "jam" with others, we will typically jam together, or if they have friends at a similar age and skill level, I encourage them to have a jam session where I can listen in and participate (and I can spot-check my student for technique and ask critical questions about their performance). Read More

Instruments: Cello

For early students, I typically start with the Suzuki books, as I like the organized technical and musical progression of each piece. As the students develop I begin to add supplimentary materials such as etude and scale books. Students can progress from open strings to Bach with ease. More advanced students can expect a healthy dose of scales, Popper etudes, concertos, and Bach.  Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I find students are most successful when they set their own goals. I like to ask each new pupil what kind of music they like, what they want to learn, and what their expectations are before we start. I believe it's most important to tailor my lessons to the specific person. Although I believe there are a number of techniques every player needs to learn I believe there are a plenty of ways to approach these fundamentals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I start each student with the Frances Clark Series. This is terrific in introducing all musical components to the learner. It starts off right away using ALL the notes on the piano. Black notes are used exclusively in some repertoire. Each building block is built upon the next and it just nicely adds , in a non-threatening way to what the student has learned before. I intersperse these books with other more seasonal books and the student and I build on that. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I've had numerous students over the years, and at every lesson try to leave the student with a clear path to follow that is not too demanding, while still leading on to new levels of development. Many techniques I use are self-learned from trial and error.  I've done the work for the student.  This enables the student to make the most progress with limited practice time. I show my students how to practice, and also encourage them to explore the music they love. Read More

Instruments: Piano

Student-teacher relationship is one of the most important aspects to my teaching style. It is very important that students feel safe and welcome in their learning environment, so I keep lessons relaxed yet on target with our goals. I believe that every student learns at his own pace, and I try to gauge that with realistic goals per lesson, per semester, and per year. I like to vary activities in lessons according to my student's preference. Read More

Instruments: Voice

For younger students, I tend to focus on the production of breath and basic sounds as they begin to grow into their body. This is to ensure that the baseline technique is there as they find how their instrument, the voice, is growing into their developing selves. For adult students of any technique, I prefer to start with basic vocal exercises to test the agility and flexibility of the voice so that I have an understanding of how their matured voice functions. Read More