Music Lessons in Schwenksville, PA

Instruments: Piano

I started playing piano as a young child in a small beach town in Southwestern Michigan. I was always involved in church choir, bell choir and school choirs. From the time I was 15, I knew that I wanted to use music to help people. I began pursuing a degree in Music Therapy at Western Michigan University, where I studied piano with Lori Sims. Upon graduating with a degree in music therapy, I began working as a music therapist on an inpatient psychiatric unit where I worked for 9 years with adults. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Lute Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

What I have found works best with semi-slow but significant results is the idea of 'planting seeds'. I describe this concept quite regularly with my students, and what I mean by it is that we will often talk about important musical ideas and simply make the student aware of what's happening. They may not totally understand it right away, but the seed is planted. We start off planting many seeds and sometimes the same seed multiple times. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I first began teaching upon the completion of my undergraduate studies in 2004. At that time the majority of my students were beginners in their first or second year of playing. By 2008 I had completed the first of my two graduate degrees in music. With this accomplishment the students seeking lessons with me generally became older, typically in the junior high and high school ages. It has been my priveldge to help some of these students reach their goals of becoming university and college music majors and scholarship recipients. Read More

Instruments: Flute Recorder Piccolo Music

I believe that studying music has value far beyond simply learning an instrument. I hope that my students are inspired by music, and really feel the freedom to treat it as a creative outlet. Additionally, practicing consistently teaches discipline. Even for beginners, it is better to practice for 10 minutes every day than four hours once a week. I try to be as encouraging as possible, and will also provide opportunities for students to play with others or perform for friends/family. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet

I always start with what type of music the learner is interested in. This helps engage the learner so that the student comes from a comfortable place, and then we use the lessons from that music to apply and expand to other genres. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

My aspirations as a violin instructor are to enable students to identify, understand, and assess challenges they contend to search for possible solutions. I am a proponent of self-directed learning, and intentionally create situations in class that allow the students to learn through the unconventional approach. I also encourage students to come up with their own exercises and possible solutions for any challenge they encounter. In order to measure their learning, I require students to demonstrate the process of searching for possible solutions in class. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone

My teaching experience began in college. I quickly realized that I most enjoyed helping people on an individual basis. In addition to performing in myriad musical idioms, I have made a career of private teaching, having conducted over 26,000 lessons since 2001. My performance experience weaves its way into many lessons, as I am able to share “real-life” experiences about the practicality of the material that we study. Many of my students have gone on to become performers, band directors, and scholarship winners. Read More