Piano Lessons in Bridgeport, CT

Instruments: Piano Guitar Organ Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
I stretch out and vocalize. I review the pieces I am working on and choose one for the day's lesson. I find the parts that are most difficult and practice them at 1/4, 1/2, and then a tempo. I then attach the segments together. I add articulation to add life to the performance. The procedure above can be used on any group of instruments. In a group session I would note the students' performance and give them practice that fits their problem. Eventually if I get a student that makes it all the way through, I would explain to the class how the student sings and what the class thinks of them. An exceptional performance gets a certificate. This makes the student strive for a musical goal they can be proud of..

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
I choose composition because you have total freedom. Especially with orchestral work. You have the resources of all the instruments to use as a tonal brush to paint musical tones. There is also a heritage of orchestral scores to get inspired. A large input of music came in when I played the 9 Beethoven symphonies arranged by Liszt. I love starting a piece because the possibilities are endless. Tempo, is especially fluid and Beethoven often manipulates it to great effect. Arpeggios are a technical device that spreads s chord all over the keyboard. I love using these and other devices to improve our playing.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
My piece would be the 32 Goldberg Variations. It shows Bach at his best in the variation genre. In a way it is like a graded lesson book, the lessons getting harder.... It progressively works on a canonic piece every three pieces and ends with a final reprise of the theme. This is a supreme study of counterpoint - I love way the music speaks to listener with both excitement and sadness. This is one of Bach's most popular pieces and it is easy to see why. The Goldberg variations have been recently featured in several movies (just the theme).

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would be a multimedia specialist focussing on digital work. In between lessons and composition, I would use Photoshop for still photo work, Premiere for still/video work and After Effects to add color correction and sophisticated animation. I actually did a bit of multimedia in my career and it was best when when it was written as a soundtrack for a movie or television (see resume) . I also watched Ch.13 with my parents to see the musicians play and get inspired when i was young. I might be part of Moody's Investors Service and do math and statistics as I did 10 years ago.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
I don't have a favorite but in order: Baroque Renaissance Romantic Classical Contemporary Romantic Baroque: I think Bach when I hear Baroque. His music can be played by all ages (the early ones excluded). He has a wealth of music that I love playing, especially the contrapuntal variations. His music is also sacred, and serves as excellent chorus practicing. I'm interested in courses J.S.Bach gave to his family so they could advance musically and share methods. There already have definition sheets in Germany.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I was already playing guitar at my tender age, and was watching the band ELP a 'power trio'. Keith Emerson was the leader and one of his arrangement "Pictures at a Exhibition" became famous. He had many keyboards and could combine them like an ensemble of hard rock. His concerts were hours+ and he showed no tiredness. So electric keyboard would be my next electric. Carl Palmer also played with power and precision on the drum orchestra so that would be third instrument - electric dums - would be the third choice.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
The only musician in my family - My aunt to be precise - loved signing jazz and show tunes. I can recall many a wedding where my aunt sung after the ceremony whole pieces when people danced. I admired her projection of her voice and the way she could change the style of music. I'm sorry this is all I have for this answer because my aunt is only one who sang (myself included). I remember singing Mozart's Requiem and seeing my family in the audience cheering me own as I sang as well as possible; we got a standing ovation and I was thinking of one point in the future when I would have children my own.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
When I was in my teens I listened to many styles in my music class and I started to think about becoming a professional musician. I made a conscious decision to practice and study scores. Later at Mason Gross School of the Arts in my second year of getting my Master of music I formed a band that played many of the pieces listed above. It has been exciting walking on a stage I never did before and start the band with my open strings. I haven't stopped the classical group but am putting my effort to my band.

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