Guitar Lessons in Westlake, WA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

No single approach works with every student when teaching drums. There are simply too many styles and methods to choose from. But when working with beginners, I tend to focus mostly on developing a good internal sense of rhythm and good listening skills. Then if the student wishes, we may specialize in classical, jazz, rock, latin, or whatever style the student is interested in. There are many excelent published methods to choose from and I occasionally assign etudes and excersizes of my own. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Trumpet Harmonica Ukulele Recorder Acoustic Guitar

When working with younger children, I use the Children's progressive method for guitar and for the older students I use the Hal Leonard guitar method books 1, 2 and 3. As my students progress, I supplement the lesson with songs that my students enjoy and want to learn. I also focus on ear training to help students musically hear what they are playing. Whether it's voice, guitar, ukulele, trumpet or recorder, hearing the music inside and being able to internalize the music is very important to becoming a well rounded musician. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I believe any student regardless of age has to learn the three fundamentals pillars of music to truly learn an instrument. Those foundations are: Harmony, rhythm, and melody. The way in which I go about teaching them or reinforcing them depends on the age, musical interest, and skill. Usually kids benefit the most from learning their favorite melodies, how to read music, and how to play some chords to play their favorite songs. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I have honed my skills as a player, a composer and an arranger during my time there, especially in the fields of Jazz, Latin Jazz, Rock, Pop and Funk. I have been taking on students for the past five years and have developed a fun and yet thorough approach to the world of music, whether you just want to learn a specific song, better your technique or you want to further your develop other skills like sight reading and musical theory. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method introducing them to simple single string melodies that aid in teaching them how to read in open position. Once the student has progressed and has a good foundation with the basics, I begin to incorporate more intricate rhythms and chords and eventually move them on to learning riffs and short songs that will help them meet their own individual goals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Harmonica Ukulele Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My motto is my students create their own lesson. I formulate lesson plans off of the styles of music you are most interested in. If my student has a more "just for fun" attitude, the lesson will inevitably be a more light hearted feel. If the student would like to focus on more technicalities, that as well is a different approach. However, I do have a more structured plan for younger students. Read More