Piano Lessons in Midtown, MI

Instruments: Piano

For very young beginning students, I typically start with Faber Piano Adventures, and for older beginners, the Faber Accelerated Piano Adventures or Hal Leonard Adult Learner Series. Once the student has shown an understanding of basic theory and technique, classical repertoire will be introduced, along with level appropriate arrangements of the student's choice music. It's important that the student is taught how to practice a piece effectively to continue growing musically in between lessons, so that lessons can be used to find areas for improvement, and to learn new concepts and material. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Bass Guitar Double Bass

I believe that in order to effectively teach, one must also do. My extensive performance background allows me to read a student to see what their goals might be and custom fit a curriculum around them. Sometimes a method book is the right way to go. Books such as the Alfred series and Hal Leonard often offer easily attainable goals for younger students. However, it is always important to listen to one's students to find out what music makes them passionate and make sure to weave that into the practice of good technique, and theory. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums

On every instrument that I teach I place great importance on fundamentals, especially developing a deep sense of rhythm. Whether a novice student is learning basic concepts for the first time or an advanced student is maintaining their musical foundation, a short routine of very simple warmups is essential and is also a beautiful way to connect to the instrument every time we sit down to it.For young beginners on piano and guitar I start with the Faber Piano Adventure series and the FJH Young Beginners series - for young drum students I use Alfred's beginners drum set book. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Viola Ukulele Electric Violin Fiddle

I teach beginning students both by rote and through reading. We use standard Suzuki books for repertoire and method books such as Wohlfahrt, Mazaz, and Sevcik. Very young students begin on Sassmanshaus since it is very engaging as well as well written. However if there is a specific book a student wants to learn from (such as a book from school or a specific style such as country or fiddle) then I am more than willing to teach from that. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Synthesizer Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

I have a dynamic and flexible teaching style and personality. It’s important for me to assess what kind of learner and individual each of my students is, and that informs how I form my lessons. I prefer to set goals for my students based on what they would like to achieve, and what inspires them to want to continue their musical studies. My broad base of knowledge can offer a complete understanding of the art and science of music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Drums Bass Guitar Recorder Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I began teaching as a teenager when I was in Ann Arbor's psychedelic rock band SPROTON LAYER. I have taught friends and family off and on for many years. During the economic crash in 2009, I took a course on Teaching to understand different age groups and varied approaches in learning. Since then, I have taught steadily and found it very rewarding. One of the hardest things to get across to the Student is that the single most important thing to do is Play. Read More