Music Lessons in University Park, IL

Instruments: Flute Recorder Piccolo

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with fundamentals in tone (Trevor Wye) and Moyse daily studies (I still use it myself!) . Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their first recital performance. For adults, I try to find out what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter their ability level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I am a graduate of Lawrence University with a BA in Music (Piano) and German. I've played piano for almost 20 years, but in college performed more with voice. In college as a BA candidate I was able to take a variety of lessons, including classical piano (my major), jazz piano, classical voice, and jazz voice. One of my favorite projects in college included a recital comprised of all the types of music I love playing and learning about such as a solo piano piece, a few piano duets, a piecewhere I sang and accompanied myself, a vocal jazz small group, and a few others. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion

For beginning students, I like to stress fundamentals with a twist. I encourage my students to play along with music they like to keep them interested in what they are practicing. As the student progresses, I will either compose a short solo or provide a short solo in which they can apply fundamentals to. For intermediate and more advanced students, I like to let them guide their own instruction. After coming to me with topics they'd like to learn more about, I will provide exercises, musical examples, and pieces to help them assimilate what they have learned with me, to real-world examples. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I break up lessons into three parts - warmups/breathing exercises, learning a song, and acting the song. Warmups prepare the voice to sing without any strain. I also implement vocal exercises during warmups where we work on range and quality. During the first lesson with the student, I get to know what they want to work towards in terms of repertoire and suggest a few pieces. We will typically add one or two songs per week in order to build a solid repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Voice Recorder

For children, I like to use music they're already familiar with so I can gauge what elements of music they're strong in, as well as what we can work on in our lessons. Using games, flash-cards, and charts work best to teach singing concepts to children in an engaging, organic way. For young/adults, the learner-center approach comes into play more, as I can have more balanced dialogues that guide my instruction accordingly. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trombone

My main objective as an educator is to share my enthusiasm for music and develop a lifelong love for music in my students. I do not have one specific style of teaching because I believe it to be my job to cater my teaching style to the learning style of my students. Every student has different objectives and interests. I do my best to help students learn what they are interested in while insuring they develop excellent fundamentals on their instrument and a strong knowledge of music theory. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Mandolin

After thirty years in my musical career, I have come to the conclusion that the best way to learn is when there is joy in the study. I have a musical academic foundation, while obtaining an A+ status during my musical studies. Yet for me, the act of making music is more of a spiritual and auditory process than that of physical workmanship.  Despues de treinta años en la musica he llegado a la conclusion que la mejor manera de aprender es cuando hay gozo en el estudio. Read More