Music Lessons in Melrose, MA

Instruments: Cello

With beginning students, I use exercises from Suzuki and Essential Elements books as a basis for note reading, but I also frequently use "echo" or "call-and-response" playing. I find this is especially important in developing a student's ear for pitch and tone early on. As a student progresses and their musical interests develop, I combine standard classical repertoire that I grew up playing with song transcriptions of film, jazz, and rock music formatted to match each student's ability level and current technical goals. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I began teaching in my Junior year of my undergraduate degree at Westminster for a community outreach program. One of my longest standing students is now attending that college for voice performance as well. I taught mostly younger girls who wanted to sing in choir or the school musical. Some were very serious and others just wanted to have a fun hobby. But they all loved to sing and I had the opportunity to excite them even more, and help them follow the path of music. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I am a very warm and encouraging person, and I can see how hard people try, even if they don't sound their best yet. I have a growth mindset, which means that you don't have to be born with a natural ability to do this. Anyone can learn if they have a great teacher. I give a lot positive reinforcement, and I expect mistakes. Students don't take lessons if they already know how to play! Read More

Instruments: Clarinet

I'm a recently graduated student from Longy School of Music of Bard College with a Master Degree in Clarinet Performance. I started my musical career while been a College student in my native country, Cuba. My performing experience has been very varied, from the Cuban Clarinet Quartet Ebanos de La Habana to the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba and the Ballet and Opera Orchestra of Havana. Once in the United States I had the opportunity to attend to the Woodwind International Festival in Pella Iowa and been part of the Longy Conservatory Orchestra and held concerts with chamber groups and clarinet quartets, also playing in gigs around Boston Area with a clarinet and guitar Duet. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar

I typically use Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method for beginning guitarists and the Suzuki Method for beggining pianists. For students first learning music, I make sure to include solo pieces that the student is interested in and other custom written fundamental lessons in addition to these resources. Once they reach the point that they have a solid grasp of their instrument, we focus more closely on learning pieces and concepts that reflect musical situations in which the students sees themselves; be it playing solo, playing and singing, accompanying other instrumentalists or vocalists, or playing in an ensemble or band. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

It is very important that lessons be fun as well as informative, and as soon as I am able, I like to develop musical, and technical skills within the context of real music, that the student enjoys. Of course for absolute beginners, we have to develop certain skills before we are able to do this but it is important to me, that any student always has material that they enjoy practicing, and that the learning process is never too abstract or needlessly sterile. Read More