Music Lessons in Peapack, NJ

Instruments: Piano Drums Keyboard

When I meet with a student the first thing I try to find out is what they want from music lessons with me. I then assess their ability level and try to create a lesson plan that includes a lot of what they want to learn along with a bit of what I think they need to learn. I like to assign short term goals such as weekly or monthly homework that I can check up on in every lesson. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Piccolo

Dependent on the instrument, I generally use essential musical workbooks as well as my own scales and exercises that create a better base to suppliment the workbooks.  I find that these general books are useful to keep the student's growth on track, however, my own sound exercises alllow wind players to usually progress at a quicker rate.  For more advanced students, once we have discussed what each student hopes to get out of their lessons and what they generally see themselves doing with their instruments in the next few years, we can decide what pieces to work on and what skills to develop. Read More

Instruments: Voice Music

My teaching experience dates back to my college days, as I began teaching private lessons part time 4 years ago, and have been consistently teaching students for 5 to 55+ years old. In my lessons the most important thing to relax, have fun and express yourself. I let students pick which song they like and let them add a piece of their vision of the song. If a student isn't having fun in their lessons, then I'm not doing my job! Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music

The essence behind my teaching style is constructed from an active gathering of ideas from the worlds of vocal pedagogy, body awareness, movement, emotional awareness, affirming language, and space holding. Developing a plan with the student versus “for” the student is also an essential piece to fostering success and allowing the student to witness their own understanding of the work - placing high emphasis on the journey and viewing snapshots on a timeline to recognize progress. Read More

Instruments: Flute Piccolo

This was a brand new experience for me, and I loved every second of it! I learned how to format lessons, differentiate for beginner players, second year players, and third year players, how to fix lots of technical problems for all instruments, and how to assign and assess weekly performance goals. I had a lot of fun with my students, and I absolutely loved those moments when they would get excited because they accomplished something new! Read More

Instruments: Drums

The one book I use for my students is Ted Reed's "Progressive Steps to Syncopation For The Modern Drummer". I use this book for my own benefit on a daily basis. Its interpretation and application is limited only by the student's or instructor's imagination. This book is such a great resource for assisting the student in learning basic reading skills. Once the student becomes familiar with recognizing certain rhythmic sequences, It enables them to study and learn from other publications with an increased level of facility. Read More