Piano Lessons in Peekskil, NY

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone

No two students are the same, and I try to take each student's strengths, goals and preferences into account when designing their custom curriculum. For brass, I devise custom exercises for the player in addition to using classic pedagogical texts such as the Arban's and Clarke books. For piano, I start students off with a combination of scale work and repertoire. All lessons with me will include learning a wide variety of repertoire as well as a fair bit of improvisation, as I believe it is an invaluable tool for developing ears, creativity and musical personality. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I have been an active music teacher now for over 3 years. However, teaching is not the only thing I do. I am constantly working on music of all styles with all walks of life. I am currently producing dozens of artists from all around the country out of my home studio. I am also in several gigging bands. Playing live shows is the ultimate reward of being a musician and I like to do it as much as possible. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I believe that I have a natural talent for teaching. I was able to solve varied problems or my students. Whether it is stiff hands, bad hand position habits, inability to play polyrhythms, articulation issues, phrasing and ornaments or a general frustration at being unable to control the sound, I have demonstrated time and time again that these problems are not insurmountable. I encourage, when applicable, parent participation, their help and support but if these positives are missing, I found a way to redeem the situation and that resulted in tremendous self-esteem boost of my piano pupils. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Euphonium Tuba Music

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with Essential Elements of Band by Hal Leonard and Tradition of Excellence by Bruce Pearson and Ryan Nowlin. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce more advanced method books such as J.B. Arban: A Complete Method, and various etude books as well as solo repertoire appropriate for their first recital performance. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trombone Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass

I am fully student centered! Music is a pleasure, and learning it should be as well. All genres of music deserve respect, and I am pleased to teach any and all. (I do have a special fondness for mixing styles.) Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Organ Synthesizer

The way I teach is the way I was taught, using methods that were in place when I was a kid, some of these techniques date back to the 1800's. I believe in teaching scales, and also the Carl Czerny exercises and etudes, pieces that are designed to get beginners up to the advanced level. I incorporate elementary theory into the scales by including chord cadence patterns and inversions so as to make the technical transition from method books to playing actual classical pieces and songs as smoothly and as quickly as possible. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music

For my piano students, I like to use a mixture of books from the Alfred, Bastien, and John W. Schaum collections. I eventually assign more advanced solo repertoire as the student progresses. For my vocal students, I pick music based on their interests and vocal qualities. I have taught my students musical theater, opera, art song, gospel, pop, and many other styles throughout the years. I also like to make sure my students have a solid understanding in music theory and often give out worksheets that help them practice how to sight read, recognize different key signatures, and more. Read More