Music Lessons in Berkeley, IL

Instruments: Trombone

Hi! My name is Matthew, and I have been playing trombone for 15 years and teaching for 3 years. I graduated from the Eastman School of Music with my Bachelors degree in trombone performance in 2017 under the tutelage of Mark Kellogg of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and I am currently pursuing my Masters degree at Northwestern University under the tutelage of Michael Mulcahy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I began my college career with a seat in an orchestra being my end game, now that I have had the privilege to teach a full studio of students, I want to pursue any opportunities in music education that I can. Read More

Instruments: Piano

The more a student feels like he/she has accomplished, the more patience and dedication the student acquires. After a student has established that piano is fun/rewarding, I like to slowly incorporate the study of music theory. With music theory a student can begin to codify and understand where these sounds come from. This greater understanding and insight empowers the student to play more musically, or creatively--whether in performing notes written, or improvisationally/compositionally. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin

My passion for music teaching goes back to my own experiences of starting piano lessons as a 10 year old. I was always interested in music as a child and was given the opportunity to take piano lessons from an extraordinary piano teacher. My method of piano instruction is modeled after what I was taught and also what I learned through my higher education experiences. I majored in music education at Bethel College, with piano as my principal instrument. Read More

Instruments: Trombone Euphonium Tuba

The most important thing that I can teach a student is good habits. One of my first teachers always said "I'm not here to teach you to play the trombone, I'm here to teach you how to practice the trombone." That has esentially been my teaching philosophy since then. The half hour to an hour that I would be spending with a student each week is not enough time to turn them into a great trombone player, so the most important thing to do in lessons is to teach them how to practice the instrument when I am not in the room with them. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Violin Bass Guitar Harmonica

I will continually focus on vowel-forming exercises and funneling the singing air through the nasal cavity and middle of the face. This way, the student will understand how to produce a big sound without straining. Breathing exercises such as 'underwater noises' and 'tornado siren' are fun and keep the mood open and lively. I want to create an atmosphere that lets the student feel strong enough to test their limits. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

In my curriculum, students start off by learning the basics of the guitar. This includes understanding the various parts, accessories and so forth. Along with those basics we work on tuning and pitch so that the student is comfortable with all aspects.As we move on students  learn how to build and maintain a rhythm. Learning how to play chords is essential, and we begin to go through chord progressions, as well as how to recognize and memorize the various chords.I then show students how to read tabs and write music. Read More

Instruments: Cello

Individuality, personality and enjoyment are three things that I value highly. Each student has their own motivations for learning the instrument, their own personal goals with the instrument and their own personalities. Music is such a personal, emotional and intimate form of expression, and while there are technical aspects of playing the cello that require a more analytical approach, I believe that students must remain true to themselves, to their respective motivations and to their individuality to discover their own sense of fulfillment and the joy of playing music. Read More