Piano Lessons in Farmingdale, NJ

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Keyboard

My teaching style is totally based on the energy and personality of the student. With younger students I try to be as patient as possible by allowing them to tell me exactly what they are looking to learn in the lessons. I then base my lesson plan on this interaction and build the relationship from there. I will assign tasks for the students to complete before the next lesson so that they are doing the work needed to improve their musicianship. Read More

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: Piano Drums Synthesizer Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

General Method In General, I believe the three foundations of a student's success are 1. Proper Technique (scales, rudiments, etc) 2. Repertoire (memorized pieces) 3. Creativity (improvising, learning by ear) Parents: You MUST encouraging you child to practice or "play". When they practice, be there, let them know you love hearing them play. I can not stress enough how crucial parent participation is. The student needs to practice at least 20 minutes a day up to several hours depending on the age and goal of the student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Ukulele Music Acoustic Guitar

Then from there I see what the student actually needs to do first according to where he is at. On learning guitar, what is focused on depends on what each student may have struggles in playing, so we would focus on those things but also strengthen the strong points. Even for beginners some are strong in certain areas and weak in other areas. I use the time that we have together very wisely and ensure that I don't leave the lesson with you confused about anything at all ever! Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums

Studying jazz has also opened my eyes to the spontaneity of music, which is another important aspect of music that I try to encourage students to explore. While studying the classics is important, I think another vital element of maintaining a students' excitement in music study is for them to explore and delve into what it is that they enjoy, understanding how it's made, and figuring out why they like it, from a musical perspective. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

For beginning students, I normally start with Alfred's Drum Method. This book works on the fundamentals of reading snare drum music and basic technique. Once the students grasps the basics on reading and playing with a metronome then we tend to move to Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials (while still working on the Alfred's Method). After the student has began to play with the audio tracks and have succesfully gone through a few lessons from Groove Essentials then we begin to work on some solo repertoire and personal favorites as well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trombone

Sharing music with my students is my greatest passion. I have been playing music since I was nine years old. Music has provided me with many valuable lessons and opportunities of which I instill on my students. I am a Trombonist, Guitarist, Composer and Arranger with a BFA in Jazz Performance from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. Some of my experiences as a professional musician include touring Europe with the JMI World Orchestra in 2017, performing at Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and many other venues through New York City, as well as many years of teaching, both privately and in groups. Read More