Music Lessons in Van Nest, NY

Instruments: Cello

I am sensitive to the musical tastes of my students and try to cater to them. Most are very happy with Alwin Schroeder Foundation Studies, Carl Schroder Violoncello Method and the Suzuki Books. Others are also interested in folk or pop-Disney movie music, The Lord of the Rings, Beatles Songs, various ethnic music or personal favorites. It is a joyous moment when a student is ready to begin their study of the Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites! Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Synthesizer Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion Music Keyboard

I teach in a firm, thorough style, and prefer to emphasize the importance of basic body position and movements through both technical exercises and the repertoire of piano pieces. Reading music is another ability I believe is essential and I always teach this skill to students of any age. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

What are the parents'/guardians' musical backgrounds? What has the student learned/is currently learning via another teacher (most likely a band director)? For the beginning drum set student, I start by establishing a fundamental understanding of rhythm and reading rhythm before transitioning directily to drum set. This way, when the student sits down at a drum set, they can focus on the using multiple limbs without struggling with understanding and/or fundamental rhythms. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

A passionate student is a happy student, so I take special care to ensure that each student develops at their own pace. I like to encourage students to set goals for themselves to get an idea of where they think they are musically, and help them to tailor these goals into small and accomplish tasks. I also think it is extremely important to praise students for working on their material, as this helps encourage them to try even harder and push their boundaries. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For begginers, being adults or children, I always start with a set of easier musics that don't include very hard chords, but that may interest the person in what they're doing. The only difference between the children and the adult would be the guitar size and the amount of practicing and how often they need to practice. The key point is to have fun during the lessons to stimulate practicing every so often so that no matter how hard the songs are they can do it. Read More