Piano Lessons in The Plains, VA

Instruments: Piano Voice

I use Bastien Piano Basics for young and older beginners, as well as supplemental books from Alfred Piano and Hal Leonard. For intermediate students, we begin building a repertoire together of pieces the student enjoys and plays well. I try to find a nice balance between classical, traditional, and popular music. For voice I use the Little Singers series for kids and supplemental books of songs from Hal Leonard. These songs include Disney favorites and other classic songs such as "Puff, the Magic Dragon". Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

For students just starting out the focus is always on the fundamentals. Hal Leonard has some great Essential Elements books. When students show progress with these types of instruction manuals we'll usually jump to specific pieces of music that focus on the elements that we learned about in our method books. Lessons are tailored to the student and his or her needs and goals. All students aren't shooting to play at Carnegie Hall or tour the World. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

Nothing is more enjoyable than seeing a music student climb the learning curve and self recognize and appreciate their progress other than, perhaps watching their passion grow over the long term as they successfully step into the performance phase and play a well practiced piece for their friends, family, peers, or others. Each student's lesson selection plan is always a collaborative agreement between the instructor and learner as well as the practice plan in terms of both frequency and repetition pattern. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Keyboard

I typically begin my lessons with a 30 to 45-minute session to introduce music theory and the chosen instrument. For beginner students, I use a combination of the James Bastien and Alfred's Basic methods to teach foundational music theory. Based on the student’s instrument of choice, I supplement these lessons with additional materials tailored to practice and performance. For adult students, I prioritize their interests, adapting my lessons to make the learning experience engaging, enjoyable, and relevant to their musical goals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Clarinet

My teaching experience dates back to college. I was a student teacher as well as a mentor. When i graduated college I began teaching my own private lessons for piano and have been for almost 3 years in student homes. I start from 5 years old, all the way up to adults. For my younger students (5 year olds) I encourage to practice everyday for 15-20 min as it helps memory and passion for their instrument. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar

My approach varies depending on the student's skill level and chosen instrument, but for beginners I always try to get them familiarized with their instrument: teaching them the basics of reading music and how to navigate the different keys (or strings, etc.). From there I start teaching various musical concepts, the rudiments of music theory, and begin introducing them to different styles of music. When the student is advanced enough, I start having them run through my own custom designed technique and skill drills, and have them start selecting music that they would like to perform on their own. Read More

Instruments: Piano

When first starting with a student, I gage what their level of music is and go from there. With all my students regardless, we start off with Hanon exercises and scales. These are the fundamentals of piano. Music theory will also be applied as needed to help students learn music appropriately and efficiently. With beginners, we start with the John Thompson Piano Books so that students are getting the well rounded ins and outs of the piano. Read More