Piano Lessons in Elko, MN

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

It is hard to explain about teaching method for voice lesson because the voice is not visible. When I was studying a doctoral program I studied hard about vocal pedagogy. Generally, voice teachers abstractly tend to teach their students. So, I have been emphasizing how to know their body mechanism first before letting them sing. Actually, when we sing many muscles work together but they do not know which muscle works. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

Lesson plans are catered to the needs and level of each individual student. For younger students with maturing voices, I generally work on basic technique like breathing and posture. I will teach solfege and simple songs that help develop the young singer's ear and a relationship to their voice. For more mature voices, typically above the age of 16, I begin to approach more technical areas of singing like vowel formation, breath energy and management, agility, legato, vocal registration, and a more detailed understanding of the physical anatomy behind singing. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello

I try to strike a balance between music lessons being serious and being fun. I expect my students to practice almost every day and I expect that the parents will be part of keeping them accountable for scheduling that practicing. Lessons are a combination of learning technical skills and learning songs, which usually are mostly classical songs with a few contemporary songs thrown in for motivation. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Euphonium Mallet Percussion

I do expect regular practice outside of lessons; I do not want lessons to simply be a guided practice session. Ideally, students would fully prepare the assigned material for each lesson-- not that it needs to be perfect, but that I can tell that he or she has been working on it. For students who are clearly putting in a reasonable amount of effort, I reward them by writing out melodies of their favorite pop songs for them to learn to play. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe

For beginning students, I typically start with the universal drum exercises every drummer should know, like the Ted Reed's book "syncopation" or the very classic "stick control". These exercises are mostly for warm ups, hand coordination, internalizing rhythm, and speed training. Depending on their musical background, I often like to introduce basic music theory concepts just so we are able to speak the same language. Once a foundation is set, I quickly move to what the student's interests are. Read More

Instruments: Piano

It is important that each student progress at his or her own pace. Encouragement is given by setting realistic goals for my students at each lesson. Acknowledging accomplishments helps engage a students desire to progress and make students eager to learn more. By exploring what inspires the student, I can tailor my instruction to their wants and needs. An example is using the Faber and Faber book PlayTime Piano Rock'n'Roll and learningRock Around the Clock or Rockin'Robin and PlayTime Piano Classics such as Lullaby by Brahms or Country Dance by Beethoven. Read More