Music Lessons in Old Greenwich, CT

Instruments: Piano

Nothing kills enthusiasm in the long run like rote teaching. With a complete beginner, especially a young child, an abstraction like music can be overwhelming if not presented in a structured manner. For that reason, I generally speak at length with the parents and explain that the preparation work takes several lessons. I begin by introducing young students to the keyboard and familiarize them with both black and white keys quickly. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder Music Keyboard

Growing up in a musical family instilled a love of music as a child. My father was an accomplished jazz pianist and when I was 15 years old I began playing professionally. I had great teachers in my formative years, from my father, my band directors and to my private instructors, I learned that developing simple concepts to tackle seemingly complex ideas was the key to my success. I graduated from Texas State University in 2001 with a B.A. in Music Performance. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I truly love teaching; there are few pleasures greater than seeing students progress. I encourage them to discover how beautiful and fun music is, and help them to find and develop their own areas of interest and talent. Born in Japan of a mother who started me on classical voice and piano in my early childhood, I went on to play flute and the Japanese koto and shamisen, and to compose and sing my own songs. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Synthesizer Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar

The first teaching concept I focus on is the capacity to produce great sounds with the least amount of effort. Therefore I spend some time in getting the student to play very relaxed to create a relationship with body and mind, I believe music is an extension of the body and so if the mind and body are relaxed then music will come out flawless. We will use students ideas of songs they are interested in learning as well as some of my own suggestions for repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Music

Nothing is more rewarding as an instructor than watching a student develop a passion for learning, as it can be endlessly beneficial to them in not just music, but all aspects of their life. Setting both attainable short and long-term goals for each student instills an eagerness to learn more, and also allows each student to develop at their own pace. Properly rewarding the student when they achieve their goals helps further instill this love of learning. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Drums Mallet Percussion

For beginning students, I usually work with Hal Leonard's essential elements as well as use the piano as a tool for them to hear the pitches they are playing. Once the fundamentals are grasped we can work on introductory solo repertoire. For children I'd like to make this a bit more fun as well, introducing some easy tunes they will be familiar with or excited to play. (for example, Jason Derulo's song "Trumpets") For adults, I think its best to find out what their interests are and we can target what to work on from there. Read More