Music Lessons in East Village, NY

Instruments: Piano Violin Music

I have been teaching for 5 years to a wide range of ages. I take an individualistic approach to teaching, tailoring my lessons to my students. I teach violin for all levels and beginner/intermediate piano. I encourage all my students to learn how to read music and have a basic understanding of theory. I prefer a mix of a musical and technical approach and encourage a slow but steady timeline for learning. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

For beginning students, especially those that are children, I typically will focus on teaching basic technique and fundamentals through the use of in-depth demonstrations, written out exercises, and exercises found in a variety of beginner's method books. Once the student has progressed to the point of having a good grasp of the basics, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire, song play-alongs, and/or a variety of more in-depth exercises based on the student's abilities. Read More

Instruments: Drums

Patience is the most important element! It is not easy to try to get another person to understand something you have been doing for 40 years. It takes time. Starting slowly and methodically and keeping things simple in most crucial. I will change speed and difficulty based on the skill level that I notice. Another important factor is to determine what drove the student to want to learn how to play drums. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Music

For beginning students I always start by asking what they hope to gain or what attracts them to music. Having an understanding of an individuals needs is the first step. From there I follow with fundamentals using Rubank Elementary Method on their respective instrument. for someone who already has an understanding of their musical goals I accommodate my lesson plans based on their current state along with adding exercises that will help ease any difficulties they may be having. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I've been playing drums since I received a snare drum one Christmas as a child. Slowly but surely I started to teach myself how to play by listening and watching. As a teenager I began formal lessons and followed that up with a stint at Berklee College of Music in Boston in the performance program. After spending two years at Berklee I needed to get out in the real world and do some playing. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

My approach to teaching really varies depending on the students specific needs. For absolute beginners, I can tend to follow a more concrete progression, but depending on who the student is, and what they're level of passion may be for learning something specific, the lesson may be highly specific. If the student is interested, I personally like to give them an understanding of some of the theory as they go along, even if they are a beginner because I believe it helps them to see the bigger picture. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

This helped me find new paths to play my music especially since rap stars started wearing my brand. Because of my celebrity status as a clothing designer I was able to attract upscale Chicago clothier Bigsby and Kruthers who sponsored my Chicago Jazz musical tours. Also, accompanied by the great Chicago poet Malik Yusef, I got a chance to perform with legendary rapper Common on his Album "One Day It Will All Make Sense." In 2001, I was offered a job to teach at the Fashion Institute of Technology (still there). Read More