Piano Lessons in Boston, MA

Instruments: Piano Guitar

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Start with anything at all, reading is always a good first step but anything that gets you going is fine. One idea is to take one simple melodic line and practice it until you can play it perfectly. Then see if you can get 10 perfect run-throughs in a row. Each time you make a mistake start over at 1. Break up scales: practice steps 1 through 5 only (do-sol) forwards and backwards, then steps 5-8 forwards and backwards. Practice in 45-minutes intervals and rest at least 15 minutes in between.

When will I start to see results?
It can differ from student to students but usually within 1-2 months you start to see skills developing.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
Every teacher I had was an inspiration to continuing to pursue music, one in particular was central to getting me started in teaching. Their own habits with regard to practicing and learning new material are the things that guided me in developing as a musician.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I had played piano and saxophone and was very interested in guitar and drums. I decided on guitar since it can be played without accompaniment, whereas with drums you either need to play along with a recording or with other musicians.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
These are some of the method books I use in my lessons, I find they each have helpful ways of presenting material and I often use a combination of two: Guitar: Young Beginner Guitar Method - Philip Groeber, Alfred's Kid's Guitar Course, Progressive Guitar - Gary Turner, Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Hal Leonard Music Theory for Guitar. Piano: John Thompson's Teaching Little Fingers to Play, John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano Popular Songs for the Piano, Hanon - The Virtuoso Pianist (intermediate).

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
What I cover in a practice session varies widely, but I always set aside about an hour and decide where to practice and what to work on first. I usually start with reading by sight-reading something and/or reading something I've only read-through a couple times prior. Once I've warmed-up with reading I begin on a particular thing like an arpeggio. On guitar I would practice an arpeggio, like E-minor for example, very slowly over a 1-octave range, then 2, then 3 or more, gradually practicing the position shifts needed along the way. I pay a lot of attention to my right/picking hand to execute the notes effortlessly and without building tension in the hand. After about 45 minutes I rest, but I also may break somewhere during that time and practice something else like improvising for a few minutes before getting back to the arpeggios. This keeps you from getting sick of the same thing and possibly losing focus.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
General Music with a concentration in Composition and K-12 Music Teaching Licensure.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Rock and jazz are my favorite styles, I also play and listen to R&B, classical and some folk music.

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