Violin Lessons in Memphis, TN

Instruments: Guitar Voice Ukulele Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
I start by doing a few stretches to free my body from tension. I often practice guitar scales and warm up my voice simultaneously. i concentrate on covering my vocal range using a variety of vowel sounds. After I've covered my basic range using a combination of vowel sounds with various consonants I work my way into the higher ranges using lip trills. My average guitar warm up is covering the major scale using the metronome to gradually increase my speed. When I have more time I work my way through the modal scales and pentatonic scale. I then go on to practice whatever music I will be performing at the next gig.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
At an early age I became aware of the therapeutic benefits to listening to music. I was always curious about the reasons music is so powerful in improving mood in particular. As I went through difficult times in my life I noticed that I relied on music to improve my outlook. When I began reading about music therapy I realized that music has therapeutic benefits beyond what I had imagined. I enrolled at Howard University and studied music with a music therapy specialization. I went on to earn a master’s in music therapy with guitar as my therapeutic instrument.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Many guitar students find the idea of playing lead guitar intimidating. However, once a student begins practicing scales they are on the way to being able to play lead melodies. The pentatonic or blues scale is the first scale that I introduce to students. When a guitarist becomes fluent with the scales learning lead guitar for rock or pop music becomes a lot easier. Most beginner vocal students find singing with good pitch challenging because they can’t hear when they are out of key. Vocalist work on improving pitch through ear training. We are actually training our brain simultaneously. Very few people have “perfect pitch” naturally. As with all instruments we learn scales as part of our training. Vocalist need to practice scales on a regular basis to familiarize the brain with the intervals between pitches.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I use the Hal Leonard guitar method for students 6 years old and up. This book starts by teaching the notes on each string in the first position. Its gradual approach helps student to build up dexterity while learning basic theory and sight-reading. The majority of my students learn by using Fake book style charts that I put make for them. i will give them a lyric sheet with diagrams of the chords on the same page. I will also give diagrams of the scales such as the Pentatonic and Major scales. The student collects song charts and Music theory in a 3 ring binder resulting in a personalized music book.

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