Music Lessons in Minden, IA

Instruments: Piano

I prefer to instruct out of the James Bastien method books for the student's main lesson assignments. However, I also encourage students to bring and play out of books that inspire and motivate them individually. This keeps lessons lighthearted and keeps the student interested in the next lesson in my experience. I set realistic weekly and monthly goals for my students so I'm able to gauge how the student has performed, as well as how they should be instructed going forward. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I’ve been playing drums for about 35 years. I’ve toured the entire US including some European countries. I’ve been on record labels, played many live shows of all types. I’ve also c-written songs, produced, engineered, and performed on quite a few successful albums. I started drumming in the 5th grade and continued through high school. I then starting focusing on performance and song writing. I joined some original bands and began building those songs and albums to make those bands successful. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion

My roots go back to marching percussion and drum set when I first started taking lessons and joined the Forest Lake Junior High marching band in 2007. Having not started band until 8th grade, a persistent feeling of being in over my head helped to drive my education and help me overcome challenging situations throughout my career. I first started teaching marching band with the Forest Lake junior high band in 2010 as a junior in high school. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For students who already have the groundwork of the instrument, I typically move forward with whatever they are interested in learning and what would make them feel more accomplished. For beginner students, I typically start them out in the Fast Track Guitar 1 book just to get them comfortable with the instrument, proper technique, basic music theory, etc. Additionally, I always implement scales into the lessons, no matter the age or skill level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

Music is my passion. I believe that music is able to connect us in ways that words and actions simply cannot. I have been playing music in some form for over 20 years. I play trumpet and piano. In college, I was a lead trumpet player for the UNL Cornhusker Marching Band. My experience in music has taught me that there is more to playing an instrument than simply following a sheet of music and playing notes. Read More