Trombone Lessons in Plainfield, NJ

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone

No two students are the same, and I try to take each student's strengths, goals and preferences into account when designing their custom curriculum. For brass, I devise custom exercises for the player in addition to using classic pedagogical texts such as the Arban's and Clarke books. For piano, I start students off with a combination of scale work and repertoire. All lessons with me will include learning a wide variety of repertoire as well as a fair bit of improvisation, as I believe it is an invaluable tool for developing ears, creativity and musical personality. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium French Horn Tuba

Students will always start with fundamentals to ensure a steady foundation. The exact materials may vary, but I usually create the specific exercises that students need to work on week to week. Each part of their individual practice session will have an 'aim' for students to focus on while they are playing. By teaching thoughtful practice, students can avoid wasted practice time and find success at more frequent intervals. Songs, solos, or etudes will be added in on a regular basis and focus on a technique the student is currently working on. Read More

Instruments: Trombone

Seeing that "Eureka" moment in a student's eyes is one of the best experiences in the world. It is my goal to have that moment with all my students and have them consistently improving each lesson. I will do this by setting realistic goals and giving them positive encouragement along the way. If they are struggling, I will work with them every step of the way to ensure they learn correctly and have a good foundation for future learning. Read More

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

Taking the time to understand my students, their ability to retain information, and execute, as well as their interests, goals and desires musically, is vital to my success as an instructor. While I use many of the collection of standard method books, I find creating unique exercises designed to target weaker areas in a particular persons playing to be more efficient, in cases, accelerating their grasp of fundamentals. Throughout ones progression, repertoire is introduced to reinforce techniques in a musical fashion. Read More

Instruments: Trombone Euphonium

It is here that I will begin to introduce solo pieces, generally based on a mix of what the student is good at and needs improvement on. These solos could either be picked by myself or the student. At advanced levels, I like to teach what I have learned about multi-tonguing and multiphonics (to play and sing simultaneuosly. Here is when the material is based on what the student enjoys playing. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone French Horn Tuba

I believe that my style is really flexible. I think that everybody has a different way to learn so my style will vary based on the student. I also believe that the role of the teacher should the one of facilitating the student process but ultimately is the student who should dictate the style and the pace of the lesson. I believe also that listening is a really important part of music learning so I have my student listening to a lot of different music and also I play with them all the time so that they can hear and feel what is it to play together. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trombone Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass

Michael is a musical director, lyricist/composer, and music producer with an extremely varied background. He formed a medieval ensemble to perform at the premier of ROBIN AND MARIAN, and a Country-Western band for the South African equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. Hes a former musical director for National Lampoon's live shows and television specials, including CLASS OF '86, for which he also wrote several songs. Other television work includes the soundtrack for PBS BIOGRAPHY, LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS, CNN TRAVEL SERIES, and the Jane Leeves sitcom THROB. Read More