Music Lessons in Gunpowder, MD

Instruments: Piano Voice

For begining students who are under the age of thirteen, I prefer to start with Bastien's Piano Basics. This series comes with four different books (Technic, Piano, Performance, and Theory) that give the student a well rounded lesson. For students over the age of thirteen, I like to use Alfred's Basic Piano Course. This series has a more mature song selection, a variety of genres, includes music theory, and has piano excercises. Read More

Instruments: Flute Piccolo

My teaching style is based on an open system, which allows the student to express their ideas and concerns about the topics covered in each lesson, in order to build the educational strategy that can best benefit the student. As an professor, the educational development of each student will always be a priority, but as a musician I recognize that there are activities that can facilitate this work, such as collaborations between different students to perform chamber music, collaborations between the student and the teacher to play musical duos during lessons, among other activities that keep the student interested and curious at all times. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

I have 5 years of teaching experience which started when I was in college. I taught for a Saturday morning program they have for middle and high school students. In that program, I taught private bass lessons as well as theory classes consisting of 30 students each. Privately, I have taught students ranging from 10 to 75 years old. I have found that every student enjoys the instrument in a different way. It is my job to harness that and engage them with what they love and the technique they are going to need to get there. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I adjust my teaching based on each student's abilities to maintain a relaxed, fun, and engaging atmosphere.For younger students, I typically start with Music for Little Mozarts, which includes a variety of activities in addition to the exploration of music. For older or more intermediate students, I recommend Faber Faber's Piano Adventures, which incorporates not only interesting musical selections, but also introduces music theory and analysis. For advanced students, I prefer to piece together selected repertoires based on music relevant to their interests; this typically includes a selection of classical and contemporary compositions with some discussion of the pieces' context within a greater scope of music history and theory. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Music

For all students I began with breathing exercises, then buzzing in there mouthpiece. Then go into working from the Essential Elements book by Hal Leonard. After they have progressed and grasp the fundamentals, I usually began giving them solo repertoire. I usually ask my student what they are interested in and once the fundamentals are learned by the student I work with them on something they may want to do. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

Each student has an individual connection with music, and therefore a teacher should be willing to adapt their methods in the best interest of each student. When working with a new student, I devote the first lesson to getting to know each other; the student's interest in music, their proficiency level (if they've studied in the past), their hobbies, Depending on that meeting we might choose to focus more on music theory, or ear training, or performance repertoire; whatever the student and I set as a goal for our work together. Read More

Instruments: Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Oboe

Each student is unique in their own way, from how they learn to how they produce an end product. But one thing I stress in my teaching with all students is demonstration, imitation and repetition. The old adage that says, "practice makes perfect", is not always right. If the student is practice wrong, they will perform it wrong. I believe its my responsibility to demonstrate how it is done right so they can imitate it right and make sure that they are repeating it correctly. Read More