Music Lessons in Riverwoods, IL

Instruments: Piano

I am passionate about teaching the piano, an instrument that I love. I connect well with students and adapt my teaching style to their learning preference. I have been playing the piano for over 30 years. I also play the keyboard. I am able to teach both piano and keyboard; learning the piano and the keyboard is essentially the same, it just requires a different touch and the keyboard can create more sounds. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Violin Acoustic Guitar

I have always enjoyed music and playing music and found it natural to play for my friends and family. And weather it was in school orchestra, garage band, or friends with guitars, I shared my knowledge with other players. The best part of teaching for me is when I introduce some new material and explain it and the light bulb goes off and the child gets that big eyed look, I see that the student understands it. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For young and beginning students, I focus intently on proper technique (holding of sticks, timing, 4-way coordination, etc.) to ensure a proper foundation for success. For older and experienced students, I look to work on a wide range of styles to help the student understand the nuances of performance techniques and promote an understanding of how interconnected various performance styles are. This ensures the student is capable of performance with a wide variety of bands and can adapt to other musicians. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching experience dates back to my time in high school, as I taught group guitar lessons with the Franklin Community Education and Recreation Department as well as private guitar lessons from 2011 to 2013. In both of those environments, I typically taught children ages 6 to 12, most of whom were beginners on their instrument. I found these lessons inspiring and enlivening; witnessing the sense of curiosity and wonder my students had as they began to make their first sounds made me excited to teach and to grow with them each week. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

As important as it is for me to help improve students technical ability and tone, I believe it is equally important for me to find ways to nurture students' creativity and passion for music. I believe it is very important for students to listen to a wide range of music, especially the type of music they are studying, in order to develop their awareness of style and nuance. I also encourage students to create their own exercises in addition to the ones I assign. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I'm a passionate and motivated instructor who loves working with students and sharing my love of music. In 1992, I graduated from Mercyhurst University, The D'Angelos School of Music in Erie, PA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Guitar Performance. I am currently producing music for television and films. I'm also active in the local community with duo performances with my 12-year-old singer/songwriter daughter Meghan. We've played all over Chicagoland and have a successful youtube channel. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

I try to keep lessons fun even though there's aspects that might be boring. So, I will switch from snare drum to drum set. Learning how to combine rudiments with drum set music such as jazz and rock is very beneficial. When my students are having trouble with a certain area, I do well with taking out that area and making a drill out of it. One of my specialties is that I will play the bass with students for various styles so they can have a hands on experience of the relationship of a rhythm section, phrasing, and timing. Read More