Adam M
Instruments: Guitar, Ukulele, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, R&B, Funk, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing
Adam M
Instruments: Guitar, Ukulele, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles:
Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, R&B, Funk, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
BA, SUNY New Paltz, Jazz Studies MA, Montclair State University, Music Therapy
since 2014- MT-BC (Board Certified Music Therapist)
I'm a teacher, music therapist and performer. I have been playing guitar for over 30 years and teaching for more than 20. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY New Paltz and upon graduating I taught lessons and did various gigs for a little over 10 years. I then attended Montclair State University where I studied music therapy. I love working with students of all ages, whether it be in music therapy sessions or guitar lessons. There is nothing more rewarding than having a positive effect on other people and sharing the gift of music. I especially like working with students on improvisation, whether it be rock, jazz, or blues styles.
I started teaching when I was in high school just to make a little bit of extra money, but I found out that I really enjoyed it. I also taught while in college. Upon graduating SUNY New Paltz I started teaching full time and supplemented this with gigs. By having up to 60 students a week I was able to work with people of various ages, abilities, and interests. I have also had the good fortune to have taught at The National Guitar Workshop, SUNY New Paltz, and Rockland Community College, as well as privately. I consider myself an eternal student of the guitar and love to share my enthusiasm for the guitar, music, and learning.
After trying various methods and books I have determined that each student has to be treated like an individual, and that we have to create our own book. I try not to teach one method or way for each student. My main goal is to have to student have fun, learn something, and steadily progress. I try to figure out from the start what music moves the student and to get them on track towards being able to play like that. That being said, I do introduce reading, theory, and improvisation into the lessons as well. I also have an extensive library of sheet music written in standard music and tab and I often bring some of this music to the lessons for the student.
My teaching style combines different elements. I try to keep it fresh and work on music that the student enjoys. I will work on songs but also larger concepts including ear training, improvisation, reading, and chord knowledge/ theory. I don't try to force concepts on people, but introduce them if they are open/amenable to it. I believe that everyone coming to the guitar has different goals and are doing it for different reasons and so it seems ridiculous to have only one approach. For example,some people might just want to learn chords and play some of their favorite songs. This would be far removed from someone who wants to learn about how to improvise in the jazz realm, as would it be different for a singer who just wanted to learn guitar to accompany his/her voice.
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