Music Lessons

Professional Instruction in Guitar, Bass, Piano and Music Theory

I have been teaching music privately and at the post-secondary level for over ten years. I provide exceptional music instruction, simultaneously teaching a student the music they love and the fundamentals they need to move to the next level, whether that be a garage band, high school jazz ensemble, or college auditions.

In addition to extensive experience and education, my strength as a teacher is the ability to engage a child (or adult!) with the music they love. I can teach rhythm, harmony and other fundamentals using Metallica, Beethoven or Taylor Swift, so why not teach the student what they want to play? One thing my students know for sure is that if they have a song they want to learn, they’ll get to learn it!

Styles and Ability Levels

I’ve worked with students aged 4 to 70. I can teach all styles, although my specialties include rock, classical, metal, and jazz. Every student is different, and I try to meet each individual where they are. That said, some of my favorite categories of student are:

• The young beginner. Age 4-9, they are fascinated with music and require the highest levels of skill and attention to get a good start.
• The curious “tween”. Ages 10-14. A lot of kids in this category haven’t had much music training, and maybe are more into sports. Yet, they’ve gotten a guitar for a present or as a hand-me-down, and they want to learn to jam some of their favorite songs. Great. Let’s rock and have fun.
• The passionate teenager. Aged 12-18, they’ve found what they’re looking for, and it’s music. They want someone to push them and to have high expectations of them, because that’s what they have for themselves. These students often become serious high school and university musicians.
• The curious adult. The needs of adults are different than children. They understand concepts more readily, but don’t have the time that younger students have. I’ve had great success working with adults as a “short-term consultant”. I’ll meet with an adult for 5-7 months, identify opportunities for improvement, and give them enough that they can continue learning on their own, and at their own pace.

Technology

I have an excellent command of musical software and hardware that I use to create teaching materials for my students. Perhaps most usefully, I routinely slow songs down and break solos (and other difficult passages) into discrete parts for students. I can then email these “practice tracks” to the student or provide links so that they can access them on their computer, phone, or iPod touch. I also have developed hundreds of worksheets and handouts which provide students with the references and practice they need to master the many topics covered during their lessons.

Progress Tracking

I’ve invested significant time and money developing a system that allows me to track a students progress. For example, at a glance I can see which songs a student has studied, what they’ve been working on recently, and what topics we are going to cover next. Having a system like this allows me to communicate with a student’s parents so that they have a clear understanding of what their child is accomplishing.