Bass Lessons in Philadelphia, PA

Instruments: Bass Guitar Ukulele Double Bass Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

If I am teaching beginners I will focus on developing proper technique (i.e. hand placement and crossing strings). How one ends is contigent on how they start, so I make sure beginners have proper technique before moving on to repertoire. I will also have beginners go through the Hal Leonard method books to ensure they have the theory necessary to progress. Once the students have developed the necessary technique and theory, I will give them more challanging material to learn. 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: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching experience is varied and puts the student's needs first. I have taught privately for the last 7 or 8 years, and can proudly say that every one of my students has learned a great deal. Providing consistent support and a positive attitude is my goal for every lesson, and I take the concerns of each student with the utmost sincerity. Having taught in both private and group environments, I have developed an ability to quickly convey important information in a way that every student will comprehend. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

For beginner students I use the Hal Leonard method to teach reading and positioning. Chords I teach at the pace the student is learning to play them cleanly (and this varies tremendously), starting with the easier open chords and moving on to progressively more difficult voicings. There are certainly some good beginner pieces in the hal leonard books and sometimes I pull recital material out of the William Leavit book. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Clarinet Bass Guitar Double Bass

I am a graduate of Rowan University, having studied bass with a Jazz Studies degree. I have been playing and studying music starting with piano at the age of 8. In the 4th grade I ventured towards clarinet for the school band and played academically until graduating from high school, after which I continued in a less formal manner. When I was 12 I switched from piano to electric bass and have been playing it ever since in various styles from rock to jazz to classical and so on. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

I began teaching music at the age of sixteen, teaching students not much younger than me about a wide variety of subjects like music theory, rock electric bass, composition, classical upright bass, and jazz improvisation. While still in high school I was the assistant conductor for my schools string orchestra and ran a small jazz ensemble at the Richmond Youth Jazz Guild. Since coming to college I have continued to teach students in Philadelphia as well as in Amsterdam for a brief time, giving lessons on avant-garde improvisation and double bass technique. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I knew that I wanted to be a teacher before I ever touched a guitar. Growing up in a family of school teachers allowed me to see the broad spectrum of the educaGonal process, from designing lesson plans to filing report cards, and I quickly realized that a teacher doesn’t stop working when the bell rings. Teaching history out of a textbook is one thing...teaching a student to hear the color of an altered dominant chord is a totally different beast. Read More