Music Lessons in Woodcrest, PA

Instruments: Guitar

Teaching style: having the student focus on simplicity...focus on practice, practice, practice....focus on enjoying the lesson, not dreading it. I will assess the students' needs simply by having a conversation first. Then ask some basic questions about what music style is appealing to them. Most important is that whatever the student's level is, just feel comfortable, relaxed and look forward to this wonderful journey that is called "Playing the Guitar"!    Keep in mind, my schedule is flexible. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

I make sure to teach each student at his or her pace. I love to see students succeed and enjoy their lessons. I also make sure to encourage students to keep going if he or she is having a tough time with a concept or skill. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music

My teaching experience dates back to my days as a vocal performance major at West Virginia University, where I began teaching private lessons and group lessons to members of my church music ministry. One particular joy that I take from teaching private lessons is seeing students who want to sing but struggle with issues of confidence have a breakthrough where they take a risk in a performance and achieve something they never thought they could do before! Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute

Through this, I learned what is the most effective ways to get through to a person and what methods resonate best with them. I then switched to Music Education where I learned and refined many of my teaching skills. During this time I had to teach others how to play various instruments and found that when teaching creating an environment where the student is free to make mistakes and learn from them is key, after all, we learn far more from our failures than from our successes. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I have been playing guitar and bass for 32 years, and I have studied with some of the most well-respected rock, classical and jazz musicians in the world, including Jeffery Mangone (principal bassist of the Pittsburgh Opera), Jeff Grubbs (bassist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), jazz great Dwayne Dolphin, Dino Fiumara (owner/founder of BSX Bass), Joey Granati (G-Force, Granati Brothers), and Berklee School of Music graduate Rick Mals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Synthesizer

I have been interested in music since I was very young. At age 6 I performed my first song on the family piano from a recording, only heard by ear and a few minutes after listening to it carefully. I have also worked with music in conjunction with computers using MIDI technology and have composed my own original songs; re-arranged public domain songs and produced audio CDs using all the technology combined right in my own studio. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

For classical studies, there are some standard saxophone repertoire books I like to go to. For brand new students, I use Essential Elements books, for intermediate students I use Rubank method books, and for advanced students I use the Ferling etude book. For jazz studies, I begin students with Lenny Neihaus' Jazz Conception for Saxophone, which lays a great foundation for jazz and swing playing. After this, I do a lot of ear training and memorization exercises for tunes, and talk about chord-scale theory. Read More