Music Lessons in Washington Park, WI

Instruments: Drums

I enjoy teaching students of all ages and levels with a focus on a variety of styles for drumset. My extensive background in performance of Rock, Country, Jazz, Funk, etc. provides the flexibility to focus on each students particular area of interest. I believe in helping students understand the basics of theory and technique to ensure there is a foundation to practice and maximize improvement. I have a very calm and friendly teaching style that promotes positive reinforcement and helps each student realize their unique skills. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Double Bass Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I start beginning students with both a method book and a blank manuscript which we use to journal weekly. The method book is to instill a variety of fundamental skills while the manuscript (or materials saved and shared in google drive) is used to be a fun way of focussing and developing each student's individual trajectory. More advanced students may or may not require a method book per se but may be referenced to a variety of sources dependent on their current level of development. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

My instruction experience dates back to my time in high school, as I started instructing private lessons part time 11 years ago, and have been regularly teaching in my home studio throughout that time. Creating a consistent practice schedule is one of the ideas I like to emphasize for younger students, as it will be more likely to benefit student development, and help them grow a passion for the instrument. I have also discovered that a mixture of classical and jazz music can go a long way in helping students like the saxophone and influence them to practice and continue to learn. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I began teaching in 2000, and since then have taught saxophones, flute, clarinet, improvisation, chord theory, piano / keyboard, basic music understanding to young children in a classroom setting, and coached worship teams and group seminars to all ages. It is a great joy to see students excel and expand as they take what they have learned into their own lives! Without focus on achieving this, I have witnessed most of my school-aged students advance to lead positions in the ensembles they are involved with, as well as continuing with a passion in their gifts! Read More

Instruments: Piano

Alfred Publishing piano courses (both older and newer), Faber and Faber, Bastien, Edna Mae Burnam, and the Hal Leonard course have all been among my pre-published methods that I have used over the years. I have also adopted some technic content from elsewhere. For example, the Zion Conservatory of Music, where I taught from 2004 to 2018, uses a couple of different customized scale patterns for first- and second-year students. A book I have used with intermediate students is a Conus Russian piano method edited by James and Susan McKeever, who taught the Parkside piano pedagogy courses. Read More

Instruments: Voice

Speaking from my personal experience with lessons, I have always had positive, encouraging, yet critical teachers. In other words, I love to provide a fun, modern, easy energy to my studio, but hold my students accountable to practice their repertoire on their own time, come prepared and ready to sing and make progress at each lesson, while still connecting with them and treating them like a person and building that personal connection as well, that I believe is so vital in maintaining a relationship that goes beyond the doors of a studio or practice room. Read More

Instruments: Piano

For beginning students under the age of 10, I start with the beginning John Thompson book. Depending on the type of music the students want to play I will instruct them on more advance lessons that I learned from. Practically all of my lessons are taught from the John Thompson book. Read More