Dorothea H  

5

  5.0 (2)

Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Voice, Harmonica, Ukulele, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country

I have taught in a variety of settings including children through teens and adults, and children with disabilities, both online and in person, one-on-one and in groups. I started in 2014. I have found that the best method includes positive motivation, which includes both encouragement for what the student is doing successfully, and also pushing the student in areas where they may feel hesitant. If the student enjoys the lesson and feels positive, they'll be less hesitant and excel! I am always looking forward to building a solid foundation and confidence in the student. Nothing is more rewarding for me than seeing a student cultivate a lifelong skill!

I use some custom lesson plans, including some of the following: For piano, I explain the music score to start elementary reading, work on hand and finger positioning, and move to simple scaler melodies. I introduce chord theory and understanding including triads, position changes, an later on sevenths and ninths. Exercises include scales for 1 and the 2 hands, Hanon exercises, and more. And we progress through elementary books. For guitar, I work on left hand positions and posture first, then right hand work - wrist position, pick strokes. I introduce double stop positioning, bar positions, forms for 12 bar and 1-4-5- chord patterns in different styles of music (this can range from Beethoven to Jimi Hendrix). I then move to introducing songs than have the same core chords, but in different sequences, so students can see broader applications. I also have an favorite tool of mine that especially helps with theory -- a wheel that has the circle of 5ths carved into it, with patterns and relations between the keys carved into an inner wheel on it as well. It is a fun and interactive tool that is a great visual for students to learn theory for whatever instrument they are learning. (There is a picture of it in the gallery.)