Trombone Lessons in Ashburn Park, IL

Instruments: Trombone

Hi! My name is Matthew, and I have been playing trombone for 15 years and teaching for 3 years. I graduated from the Eastman School of Music with my Bachelors degree in trombone performance in 2017 under the tutelage of Mark Kellogg of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and I am currently pursuing my Masters degree at Northwestern University under the tutelage of Michael Mulcahy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I began my college career with a seat in an orchestra being my end game, now that I have had the privilege to teach a full studio of students, I want to pursue any opportunities in music education that I can. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Trombone Euphonium French Horn Tuba Music Keyboard

Helping a student become passionate about music is the most rewarding thing I can get from teaching. I set realistic goals that help the student progress at a rate geared towards the student's own pace. Positive feedback helps instill a desire to continue working and practicing regularly. This also pushes the student to wish to learn and work on more challenging materials. By learning where each student draws his/her own inspiration, I tailor our lessons to their goals while opening up their possibilities to go even further than what the student thought possible. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Double Bass Euphonium French Horn Tuba Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Oboe Bassoon

For beginning students, I typically start with Hal Leanord's Essential Elements. Once the student has a grasp of their instrment and the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire and tecnique exercises. I will try to find out what the student is interested in to help guide my instruction and keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter the age or ability level. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone

In my lessons, I aim to not only cover the skills in playing the instrument, but also basic music theory. I also incorporate reflective questions for students to get them thinking about the music in new ways (e.g., structurally, historically, philosophically, etc.). My aim is that students are able to do a lot of playing in lessons and to be able to ask questions (especially why some aspect of music works the way it does!). Read More

Instruments: Trombone Euphonium Tuba

The most important thing that I can teach a student is good habits. One of my first teachers always said "I'm not here to teach you to play the trombone, I'm here to teach you how to practice the trombone." That has esentially been my teaching philosophy since then. The half hour to an hour that I would be spending with a student each week is not enough time to turn them into a great trombone player, so the most important thing to do in lessons is to teach them how to practice the instrument when I am not in the room with them. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trombone

The methods I use to teach depend on a number of factors. For enrolled in beginner band at their school, I will use whichever method their school is using. If the school is not using a specific method, I use the Rubank method supplemented with my own materials. For more advanced players I assign various etude books, jazz play along books, and method books based on the students needs. I provide all the materials for my beginning piano students for the first few months, then assign method books based on the student's interests. Read More