Music Lessons in Brentwood, TN

Instruments: Voice

Nothing is more rewarding than seeing one of my students develop a passion for music! Therefore, it's important that each student progresses at his or her own pace. I encourage this by setting realistic goals for my students at each lesson. Acknowledging accomplishments helps fuel a students desire to progress, and makes students eager to learn more. By trying to find out what inspires the student, I can successfully tailor my instruction to their wants and needs. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

My teaching experience dates back to high school, when I was a surfing instructor in Huntington Beach, California. I love helping people achieve their goals. I starting teaching music after graduating from college in 2010, when I trained to become a professional Vocal Coach at Songbird Studios in San Francisco. I fell in love with teaching vocal technique, performance skills, and songwriting to a wide age range of students--as young as 6 and as old at 75! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Mandolin Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I feel that one of the most important aspects of music that is often overlooked, is that music should be fun. Because of this, I try to keep my lessons focused on material that really excites a student. I believe that its very important to introduce a student to a wide variety of music to help them identify what really inspires them. Once a student has discovered an aspect of music that they're truly passionate about, then they are almost much more motivated to put in the practice to master that aspect of music. Read More

Instruments: Violin Bass Guitar

Typically for beginning students, I like to introduce students to basic theory such as reading music and understanding chord structure. My teaching styles for bass and violin vary widely. For violin students, I typically like to focus on developing their technique so that they are able to have a good foundation for playing in the future. For bass students, I like to focus on developing their ear early on so that they are able to be very versatile in their playing and be able to adapt to the genre they are playing. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

I began teaching when I moved to Wisconsin in 1990. I had twelve students I taught at the Music Go Round studio and three students I taught in their home. I attended West Texas State University (now AM) in Canyon Texas from 1981 - 1983. In 1983, I decided to pursue a professional music career and tour with bands. After moving to Nashville in 1986, I was quickly humbled by the amazing talent out there and kickstarted my education again. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I then move on to basic note recognition on paper. This allows them to be able to visually identify when notes are moving up and down and so on. Once they become more comfortable with this method, I move onto memorizing and learning new repertoire. For more advanced students, I really try to hone in on these things while also focusing deeper on their technique. I try to really stay within the student's interests no matter what level, while also giving them things outside of their box to challenge them and help them grow. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Mandolin Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I start with students by asking them what they want to accomplish on whatever instrument we're working on, and that will change the way the lessons progress. After the basics, if they want to study classical music, contemporary, or just strengthen the basic skills they have, then we progress from there. This could mean sticking to Hal Leonard books, learning songs, diving deeply into theory, or understanding the world of improvisation. Read More