Music Lessons in Port Jefferson, NY

Instruments: Trumpet

My teaching experience begins back in High School when I was the leader of the brass section of my high schools marching band. I needed to help my fellow students succeed. I have also had many opportunities to help Dolan Middle School in their parades over the years. From these experiences, I am able to fix all types of instruments as well as I’m able to give advice on how to fix sound and play different types of brass instruments. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Many people remember music lessons in their youth as a time consuming source of frustration, built upon outdated music with no connection to the student's day to day life. This is why I like to divide lessons between fundamentals such as reading and theory, and apply those practices to the students' favorite songs. The greatest thing is to be able to see a student perform the music they love, so the real goal is for the student to build a repertoire of favorite songs to perform for family, friends, on-line or onstage. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Flute Keyboard

My teaching experience dates back to my college days, as I began teaching private lessons part time 5 years ago, and have been consistently teaching students in my studio for the last 2 years. Encouraging regular practice on a consistent schedule is one of the key points I like to emphasize for younger students, as it tends to help the student progress and gain a passion for singing/the instrument. I've also found that a combination of technical exercises and songs that students love can go a long way in helping students enjoy singing/piano/flute and motivate them to practice and continue to learn. Read More

Instruments: Piano Bass Guitar Double Bass

My ultimate goal is to help each student of mine have a musical connection that they can take anywhere with them in life. It reminds me of a wonderful quote I hears a couple of years ago "everyone should have a little bit of music in their life: and that has been something that's stuck with me through my teaching every week. I love seeing my students light up over learning their favorite songs and getting little aha moments that change how they see music as a whole. Read More

Instruments: Piano

There is no single definitive teaching method series. I try to tailor the method to the individual. For the beginning student, my personal favorite series is the Diller-Quaile because it offers a gradual and steady progression from basic to more complex. Also, the material presented is far more interesting than in most other collections. For a more advanced student, I generally assess their capabilities and very often introduce them to the Bach two and three part Inventions. Read More

Instruments: Drums

Every student needs to understand the importance of reading music, not only as an educational necessity, but also in a real world practical environment. If I can teach a student the technical aspect of playing as well as the required feel then I've done my job. Read More

Instruments: Drums Latin Percussion Djembe

There's a ton of books about drumset out there. I like to use some of the best ones in my experience that offer us infinite possibilities to create our own individual practice routines. These include: - Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone - Syncopation by Ted Reed - Modern Rudimental Swing Solos by Charley Wilcoxon - The Drummer's Complete Vocabulary As Taught by Alan Dawson More than the books I like to focus on the desire, the flame in the student which drives them to want to play music in the first place... a favorite song or band, and then use these books in order to service that. Read More