Music Lessons in Guilford, CT

Instruments: Piano

I use the score to pose questions about the way musical material is organized, how it reflects the composer’s ideas, and what makes the score coherent to the player and the  listener. In this way, a score is one point of focus for developing interest and a questioning attitude—practices that will serve students for a lifetime. I believe that our ability to talk about music emerges from the experience of “thinking music” as performers and that we truly learn music by using its grammar. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I am a composer and music educator originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. At a young age I admired classic rock and by high school found a passion for heavy metal music. My love for music lead to my decision to study music in college and make it into my career. After earning my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music from California State University, East Bay I relocated to Hartford, Connecticut to work on a doctoral degree in music composition. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet French Horn

I have been teaching music since I was in high school. Through the years, I have taken "time off" from teaching for various reasons, but it's always something I find myself drawn back to.I have taugh many skill levels, and find every level to be challenging and inspriring, regardless of age. While I understand that music should be fun, I believe that it becomes more fun the more you learn. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

I began teaching during my senior year of high school when I was asked to teach the group percussion lessons at both the middle school and high school levels. After I began teaching these lessons I volunteered aditional time to teach some of these students in a 1:1 environment. Since that time, I have been teaching both private lessons and group lessons traveling between my school in TN and my home here in NY. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I usually use the Faber, Beyer, or Czerny depend on the student's level. I'd add Hanon, bach 2,3 part invention, Sonatina album, and the list can go on. For Jazz, all I need is manuscript paper and a Jazz Real Book (I'd hand out some exercise notes). For advanced students, I want them to listen to music a lot. Listening to music is very critical, it is just as important as practicing the instrument. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

I tend to use the Suzuki Method for my students. I find that it helps create a solid foundation for the student and includes repertoire that is familiar to many. In addition to the Suzuki Method, I like to use etude books, duet books, and sight-reading books for those who are learning how to read music. I also like to incorporate Music Theory for all ages to gain more knowledge of how music works. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet

My first objective when meeting any new student is to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what their overall goal in music is; whether it’s learning a new piece, playing jazz, playing for fun, getting first chair or making it into an ensemble. Being a classically trained trumpet player, I have come across nearly every issue and technical exercise imaginable. For all my students, I want to make sure that they are playing the trumpet correctly physically and not forming any bad habits. Read More