Trombone Lessons in Highland Park, IL

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

I started teaching music when I was a junior in high school. I continued teaching private lessons through my college career to local grade school and high school students. College was where I learned how to teach and play strings, woodwinds, percussion, voice, and piano in addition to brass. Once I graduated with my Bachelor's degree, I taught as the adjunct professor of low brass at Saint Joseph's College teaching tuba, trombone, euphonium, and capstone performance courses to the college's music majors. 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: Trombone

In addition to teaching trombone, music appreciation, and tutoring music theory, I have performed with the Tallahassee Symphony, Sinfonia Gulf Coast Orchestra, Lebanon Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Southwest Florida Symphony, and several other orchestras, wind bands, musicals, chamber groups, and jazz ensembles throughout Florida and Ohio. My father is an organist and so my upbringing has always been around classical music, but I have learned that all types of music are based on the same principles: solid technique, good concept of sound, and creative expression. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone

I have experience teaching with Standards of Excellence as well as Essential Elements, though I am very open to crafting an individualized curricula for students. When planning lessons, I aim to provide students with 1) music to practice from a variety of genres and styles, 2) music that will challenge them in a variety of ways, and 3) creating/composing exercises and etudes that will help the student focus on particular weaknesses in their playing (I have often used music notation software to create individualized etudes for students). Read More

Instruments: Trombone

One of the pillars of my teaching criteria is that I treat each student uniquely, I generally do not believe in a one size fits all approach. That being said, a second pillar of my criteria is that my students always strive to create their sound in the most efficient and tension free manner. For beginners, I pull information and exercises from the Remington and Bordogni books. In addition to that, especially for totally new beginners, I like to use a back and forth technique. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium French Horn Tuba

I am always conscious of myself to aim to be fun, understanding, and motivating. As long as my student is motivated to learn I could not care less if they were the worst player on the planet; I will endure thick and thin to guide them to success. The motivation to become better and to strive for excellence is what I look for in my students. I love music and while I don't expect all my students to pursue music as a career, I want my students coming away from my lessons purely enjoying music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Clarinet Bass Guitar Synthesizer French Horn

For the past 20 years, I've studied and performed with keyboards, guitars and woodwind instruments while exploring a very wide variety of music ranging from classical and rock to jazz and avant-garde. Expanding and sharing that knowledge with other people in a helpful and friendly manner is something that I consummately enjoy- especially if they're beginning where I once was. My education includes a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition from DePaul University, and I've been working on my Music Education Certificate at UMSL since August 2014. Read More