Music Lessons in Oakland, IA

Instruments: Drums

I believe in practice and visualization. In addition to physical practice, watching and hearing someone perform something is more than beneficial to learning and really getting those difficult concepts. It’s very important to list out what works best for each person. Some people are visual while others are audio focused while some are both. Many students move faster than others. A key component is to keep good notes and track what was easy and what was difficult. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I prefer to instruct out of the James Bastien method books for the student's main lesson assignments. However, I also encourage students to bring and play out of books that inspire and motivate them individually. This keeps lessons lighthearted and keeps the student interested in the next lesson in my experience. I set realistic weekly and monthly goals for my students so I'm able to gauge how the student has performed, as well as how they should be instructed going forward. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For students who already have the groundwork of the instrument, I typically move forward with whatever they are interested in learning and what would make them feel more accomplished. For beginner students, I typically start them out in the Fast Track Guitar 1 book just to get them comfortable with the instrument, proper technique, basic music theory, etc. Additionally, I always implement scales into the lessons, no matter the age or skill level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

The most successful students are the ones who are motivated to learn and improve. Therefore, I work with my students to foster a passion for music performance. Because playing music encompasses many distinct disciplines, I do not simply focus on technical development. I provide my students many avenues to improve their music performance abilities by teaching them about both the science and the art of playing an instrument. To help foster a passion for music I help students establish realistic goals and benchmarks to measure their progress and experience tangible improvement. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion

My roots go back to marching percussion and drum set when I first started taking lessons and joined the Forest Lake Junior High marching band in 2007. Having not started band until 8th grade, a persistent feeling of being in over my head helped to drive my education and help me overcome challenging situations throughout my career. I first started teaching marching band with the Forest Lake junior high band in 2010 as a junior in high school. Read More