Bridget H  
Instruments: Piano, Saxophone, Flute, Bass Guitar
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age

I started teaching two years ago at a private lesson studio in Denver called My Music Skool. My main focus was on piano and saxophone. Now I teach privately as a freelance musician. Two points I emphasize when teaching are practicing at least once a day no matter how long you play and learning what inspires you. There will always be some sort of theory I sneak in whether it's learning scales or building technical skills that will build confidence and ability, but if these devices aren't being applied to the type of music that inspires the student, then learning music becomes discouraging instead of fun. Whatever style or difficulty, I will be there to guide them through the difficult areas. I also enjoy using composition as a teaching method. Gaining the confidence to express yourself in this way at the beginning of your journey allows the student to tap into their creative side. It also opens up the mind to knew ways of thinking and processing information in a visual manner.

My methods differ for each instrument. For piano I will start with Alfred's basic piano course if the student is a beginner. It helps students visualize the basic techniques for sitting and playing the piano in a way that will prevent injury. From there we walk through the book until the student understands how the keys and reading music works. After this, I start to assign different songs and/or assignments that match the student's learning style and interest in music.

For wind instruments, I find it to be a more specialized process because it is very physical and depends on the students natural ability and strength. I start off with different breathing exercises and tone exercises. When creating sound becomes somewhat second nature I incorporate scales and technique with learning simple songs: blues melodies, latin, standards, and more.