Guitar Lessons in Livingston, NJ

Instruments: Guitar Voice Acoustic Guitar

I typically create individualized plans for my vocal students, depending on their level. I focus on technique and ease of singing with proper breathing for support. I do visualization techniques to help achieve an increased range without strain. I incorporate music the student is interested in to maintain their interest and love of music. I choose pieces of music that are appropriate for their level, yet challenging enough to keep them always improving. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I was taught primarily in the William Leavitt method, and use these resources to introduce students to the basics of sight-reading, theory, and technique. My personal preference is not to adhere too strictly to any one method however, instead focusing on the application of theory within a more active musical context. Improvisation is extremely important to developing a working understanding of music in my opinion, and much of my lessons are based in actively performing progressions with students, focusing on both comping and soloing. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

I think voice especially has always been viewed as a bit of a mystery... you can't see or touch your voice as you sing, unlike playing instruments, so there's a certain amount of imagination that has to be involved. I do my best to straddle making singing as tangible as I can, and approach things somewhat scientifically ("This muscle is used in this way," etc.) while also inspiring visualization ("Send your sound out into the distance," etc.) I also really think it's important for musicians to be diverse, so not only will we learn chord and strumming patterns on a guitar, we'll also learn how to read simple lead lines of solos, etc. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

No matter what the ability level and age, I try to find out what music the student is interested in. I do not teach from prefabricated books but rather teach songs to students and within those songs there are lessons. I have devised my own teaching methods which have been highly successful. For younger students, teaching traditionally can be extremely tedious and they can lose interest fast. I teach songs to my students and I find lessons within the songs. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Synthesizer Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I am an active performer and educator in the NYC area. I graduated Cum Lade from The City College of NY and received a Bachelors degree of fine arts in Jazz performance. I love sharing my enthusiasm for life and music and teaching is my way to give back to future generations who will shape society and culture. I have been fortunate to travel the world playing music in places like Denmark, Finland, Cape Verde, Colombia and all over the United States in places like The Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage in Chicago and the Lincoln Center just to name a few. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I base all my teaching on all the different private lessons I've received over my 10+ years of playing and learning guitar with very different guitarists/musicians. I started playing when I was 11, but I find that for any beginner, it's important to start with material that gets instant "musical" sound from the guitar. I believe this consists on working on basic chords which you can use to start singing songs, or learning some easy riffs or melodies that will have you playing music in a matter of a few weeks. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Harmonica Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Guitar has a bit of a steep learning curve at first, so I work on the basics of forming a good sound and producing clean notes and chords. Once that's established, I try to inspire students by showing just how much music can be made with as little as three chords. I'll help students learn their favorite songs and use those as an avenue for learning more technique. The best way to learn is by doing something interesting, so I use drills to help reinforce the songs students actually want to learn how to play. Read More