Music Lessons in Pine Valley, PA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Conga Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Lessons NEED to be enjoyable, almost memorable experience. My philosophy is: as a teacher, the student should want to have another lesson the following week. Meaning, having something say a scale, 3 notes, a chord, or almost a whole song really understanding and sticks to the mind. This should make the student want to learn something new the following week, continuing the snowball effect of music theory (jamming as the kids say it). Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola Double Bass

I have a "less talk, more play" approach to music. People learn instruments because they want to play music, and that is always the focus in my lessons. While some instructors incessantly talk about theory, history, and other music concepts, I prefer to keep the talking to a minimum and have my students play their instrument as much as possible. I also tend to move at a quick pace, but I always adapt my pacing to meet the needs of the student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Music

Over the past 13 years, I have taught piano, music theory, and music composition to a diverse group of learners, including school-age children, college students, and adults of distinct backgrounds. From 2014-2018 I received the Graduate Teaching Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, where I led piano courses for non-Music majors, and held weekly recitations and office hours for required courses for Music majors. This encompassed instruction in counterpoint, musical form, harmonic analysis, training students on dictation and sight-singing, as well as providing help with digital audio software. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I typically recommend that all beginner students start with Hal Leonard's guitar method books to learn the essential notes, chords, scales, styles, and music theory. After a student becomes comfortable with the basics, I begin diving into what styles or genres the student enjoys or favors. Tailoring lessons for each individual student is very important to my teaching. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums

I have been teaching for forty years. I started when I was in high school and my first student was dad's mechanic's son. He was four years old. About two years ago he found me on facebook and it's a good feeling to know he plays professionally in a Metal Band! I've taught in every city that I have lived in and varied ages and levels from beginner to advanced students that play professionally but wanted to learn jazz for instance. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Violin Cello Viola

I follow the American String Teachers Association's curriculum for orchestra education as a guideline for the skills and techniques that students must develop. The skills are developmentally sequenced and build upon one another like a stack of blocks. In each of my lessons, I assess what students know and what students could practice, and together, we remediate and master each skill or technique. I also frequently ask for student input on what music we are playing and what the student's goals are in order to better tailor each lesson. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Electric Guitar

My teaching style is customized to the individual. Once I gain knowledge of what the student is strong or weak on, I motivate them to work on those areas. I’m very easy to get along with and I like a fun learning environment where everyone is comfortable. I build confidence and I also point out where the student needs to improve. Depending on the students ambition and assertiveness, I take it up or turn it down! Read More