Trumpet Lessons in Pelham Bay Country Club, NY

Instruments: Trumpet French Horn

I customize curriculum and study books based on the student's needs. For high school students, I assign a program of etude study, orchestral excerpts and solo work appropriate to their skill level to prepare them for competitive honor ensembles and college auditions. For middle schoolers, I assess their current skill level and method books used in band class; I generally work out of the Rubank method. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Music

My primary teaching philosophy is one of showing by example. Book learning is excellent and necessary and I use an assortment of standard materials and literature to assign lessons. I am especially fond of the teaching method of Laurie Frink and John McNeil and their joint manual "Flexus" and the basic Carmine Caruso embouchure studies literature. I also create my own exercises for the the students based on their individual and immediate needs. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet

The best lesson I learned before attending college, my trumpet teacher taught me, "If you sound good while practicing, you're not really practicing", which I make sure to mention multiple times. I never try to overload my students with too much material, but instead try to understand what they would like to learn, and develop lessons and exercises from that. Brass instruments require commitment, and although difficult, playing should seem fun, instead of a chore. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone French Horn Keyboard

Music and Arts, All Brass, and piano Private lessons to students all ages Faculty Trumpet Instructor,  Berklee College of Music, City Music Outreach Program (2012-2014)  Berklee City Music is a nonprofit education program that harnesses the energy of contemporary music to reach underserved 4th to 12th graders. Students dedicate themselves to building their musical talent, their self-confidence and, in the long run, the strength of their community. With year-round instruction, expert faculty, individualized mentoring, and a comprehensive curriculum, students are set up for success. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet

For all beginning students, I like to start out with buzzing exercises and embouchure technique. This is the most fundamental part of brass playing. Having a strong foundation in creating a sound consistently and efficiently makes learning everything else about brass playing infinitely easier. For this, I use the Arban method book and the "Buzzing Book" by James Thompson. Once these fundamentals start to become comfortable, I like to introduce some simple songs to apply the new techniques to. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Saxophone

For beginning students, I start with Accent on Achievement, book one. Once the student has gotten a grasp of the fundamentals, I then introduce solo repertoire that is appropriate for the student. I will always reference the method book if students are having trouble with a certain technique. For beginning jazz students, I start with the Greg Fishman Jazz books. Once students have mastered this book, I then switch to the omnibook and real book and allow students to learn and try to improvise a solo. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder

I love to see students grasp concepts.  It is extremely rewarding to see students understand a concept and be able to explain how neat it is to a parent or friend.  When I get a new student, I get to know exactly what their goals are.  We set long term goals, and we make progress by setting manageable short term goals every week.  I inspire the student to reach their goals by providing tools to help, and custom lesson plans that are fun and engaging. Read More