A modern approach to music instruction
I currently use a full multimedia approach to music
instruction through the use of the Smartmusic music
software (play along tracks and on-screen songs and
exercises) as well al the use of countless play-along
recordings to give students the feel of performing with
a small or large ensemble.
Music lessons should be a fun and enjoyable
experience!
Students will be asked to bring in songs and books of
their choice into lessons, to give the student an
opportunity to play music that they have enjoyed
listening to in the past. I also have a comprehensive list
of popular songbooks that students may choose from
to add to our lesson materials. These songbooks can
be performed in front of family and friends, or we can
even record the tracks to send to distant friends and
relatives.
Young children can benefit from private music instruction, even if a saxophone, clarinet, or flute is too large to hold.
Most school music programs will not allow students below the 5th grade level to play a musical instrument due to the size of the musical instruments. Occasionally, school programs will teach a music course on the recorder, but usually for a limited amount of time. If you would like to start your child on a musical instrument and they are under the age of 10, then recorder lessons may be what you are looking for. In recorder lessons, we take a relaxed approach to learning music by learning how to read music notation by playing various short songs & exercises. I highly recommend starting children on the recorder for two reasons, students learning the recorder will be able to learn how to read music notation and students will be learning techniques such as breathing, fingerings, articulation, and proper embouchure technique that can be applied to other woodwind instruments.
Students that wish to use lessons as a way to help with school music or an audition are welcome!
Students are not always taught the fundamentals of their instrument in a school band setting. Large class sizes make it difficult to teach the basics of the instrument to each student. Music lessons are a great tool to help and improve students technical abilities as well as aid students with help on playing the sheet music selections from their school ensemble/band. Students that wish to audition for honor ensembles such as County Honor Bands & State Honor bands can also benefit from private instruction as the instruction will help students prepare for the competitive audition process.
Music lessons aren't only for K-12 students, adults can benefit from instruction as well
Adults can take private lessons to fulfill a life long dream of learning an instrument for the first time, perform with a band or ensemble, or to revisit an instrument that they played in the past. For adult students, there are many performance avenues such as performing with a community band/ensemble, sittin' in on a jam session, or creating your own band! We can tailor the lessons to help you accomplish your goal, whether that's being able to play 'Happy Birthday' or to get you ready to sit in with a Rock n' Roll band. All styles of music are available for instruction.
