816-463-3583
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24 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
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816-463-3583
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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Music lessons in Kansas City . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Trumpet
My teaching experience starts back as a sophomore in high school. To be a teacher, one must be a student first! And I was... In fact, one of the most important lessons I learned from my very first private instructor, was to be able to teach myself!! I have followed this guidance every since then. I started mentoring/teaching other, younger high school students as a junior and found a lot of joy and fulfillment out of it. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice Synthesizer Keyboard
I'm a passionate and dedicated instructor who believes in the power of music to free your self expression! I started learning piano at age 6 and never stopped. I've been playing over 20 years as a soloist, accompaniment and for church services. I also sang in the school choir starting in middle school, but I've been singing and writing poetry pretty much my entire life. About 6 years ago I started pairing piano with voice to write and perform original music. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Voice Ukulele Music
I've been slowly teaching private lessons while I've been in the final years of college. With the KU curriculum, I have had to learn how to work with children from Pre-K to 12th grade, which means any age is something I've been prepared for. Also, I got to sing with the Intergenerational choir at KU, which would happen at the local community center with senior-aged people. I've sung jazz, musical theater, and classical pieces since high school. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I love to play the guitar! I write songs, teach music, and lead worship. It's too good not to share! I played trumpet in school from fifth to eleventh grade, and then picked up the guitar after my senior year in high school. I immediately began writing songs. At about age thirty I decided to go to school to learn how to be more professional in my songwriting presentations. I realized how little I knew about the thing I was gifted with so much. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice
From there we move on: Beginner students will work on basic fundamentals. Advanced students will work on the chosen piano piece. Afterwards will discuss what next lesson's goal will be. In order for students to achieve their goals, both long-term and short-term, it is expected of them to practice at least 30 minutes a day. For beginner students who are children, I would like them to work up to 30 minutes. I would suggest starting with 10 - 15 minutes of practice time everyday. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Flute Drums Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I believe in a student learning to hear music and think for themselves. Through ear training, creativity, and learning "how" music works, the goal is to get each student to not need a teacher to learn their instrument, but want a teacher so they may become their best version of it. I focus on this as a primary value in my studio. In lessons, we'll use formulas and concepts to understand "why" things sound good, and "how" we actually get better. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Harmonica Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar
What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I would say my earliest accomplishment was getting into music school after having played guitar for just over two years. At the University of Kansas, I also provided classical guitar accompaniment for a DMA flute student, and played on several of his doctoral recitals. For a 19 year old, it was greatly stressful, but I managed to help him to execute successful performances despite my relative lack of experience. Later, some of my favorite performances were with a gypsy jazz quartet where we performed in an idiom similar to Django Reinhard, and st the same time I performed many solo acoustic shows playing both original compositions and covers.
What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
In terms of mechanics, I believe right hand technique is one of the most tedious to develop, and takes an immense amount of time to hone in. In a larger-scale sense, I would say mastery of jazz or classical styles are some of the most difficult, and for two totally different reasons. For jazz, a guitarist has the dual role (like piano) of rhythm and lead. Many guitarists start on styles more akin to pop or rock, and do not develop sight reading skills that other instrumentalists do, so that is always a battle for guitarists. Also, there are multiple positions you can use to play the same note, so certain judgements have to be made. Sight reading is even more paramount in classical music, thus, classical guitarists must work extra diligently to develop this skill.
Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I prefer as much as possible to not use these methods, as I have found them to be disinteresting for most students. I prefer to make notes by hand, or selecting printouts from the internet. I also encourage students to look through various websites, and searching through YouTube to help their practicing throughout the week. For more advanced students, I do encourage them to purchase Real Books and other materials that give explicit education to music theory. I have a printer, and will print materials before a lesson, or will email suggestions as needed.
What does a normal practice session look like for you?
I like to begin with technique warmups for 5-10 minutes. In my most focused practice time, I will set a timer on each idea I’m working on. In general, I like to limit my intense focus on a couple of keys per week, and run through different ideas in each of them. For instance, recently I’ve been looking at half-diminished chords and their inversions and arpeggios. I will take two keys that are generally unrelated (Dmaj and A-flat maj this week) and execute the exercises until they feel comfortable. This extends for all ideas and sets of scales. Then if I have time, I will do some ear training, and sight reading. Afterwards, I usually work on repertoire for the remainder of my practice session. I have a few apps on my phone that I will browse through if I have free time and am away from an instrument.
24 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Music lessons in Kansas City to students of all ages and abilities.
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