Music Lessons in Smithville, IN

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Banjo

I like to teach students a few easy chords to get them started. Hundreds of songs can be play with only 3 chords. I also like to teach students some 2-note chords also called power chords. Rock and roll and blues are often played with power chords. I find that students can begin playing some common rock and blues rhythms only after a few lessons. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I believe the foundation of progress is consistency, so I try to establish routines with my students, spending part of each lesson on technical exercises, theory/aural skills training, and repertoire. I also set performance goals for students by organizing recitals *this has been more tricky during Covid, but I think it is important nonetheless to get students to perform from memory at least twice a year (once at the end of fall and spring terms). Read More

Instruments: Clarinet

Each one of my students receives highly individualized and personalized lesson plans. I work closely with the student (and/or their parent) to discuss their goals and aspirations for clarinet lessons. From these discussions I will develop personalized lesson plans to help them reach their goals. In all of my lessons I emphasize the use of fundamentals to develop technique. Without the proper foundation it is impossible to develop the skills necessary to become successful clarinetists. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium French Horn Tuba Music

I'm a passionate musician who likes sharing his love of music with others. I'm currently completing coursework for my Doctorate in Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. I've been fortunate to perform both as a soloist and orchestral musician in Aruba and Italy, in addition to the diverse performing I've enjoyed stateside. Comfortable in a multitude of genres, I am equally at home in the classical realms of orchestral, wind-band and chamber music repertoire, in addition to jazz, marching band and commercial music. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Classical Guitar

I always strive to be as patient as possible with my students. I do my best to tailor the pace at which we move through material to the specific student I am teaching. This is much more feasible in individual lessons as opposed to the more structured and scheduled group classes I teach. Both technical exercises and new pieces of music are approached slowly and methodically at first, in an effort to ensure each student has a complete understanding of the purpose of exercises, or what is occurring in a particular passage of music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar

I started playing guitar at age 8. In my formative years I studied with various instructors around central Indianapolis until mid year of '85. Upon this time I studied a full year with James Lee Thorpe whom eventually played, toured recorded with Sweet F.A. They released albums with MCA Chrysalis Records. I began composing my own riffs, melodies and solo work at age 15 also. I studied Music Theory my Junior year at Ben Davis High School. Read More

Instruments: Piano Music Keyboard

My teaching experience dates back to my college days, as I began teaching college-entrance level music theory classes and private piano lessons. For the past of ten years, I have been teaching classical piano, music theory, ear training, jazz piano, jazz history/theory, and k-12 level school bands including young winds, symphonic band and jazz band. I teach students with different music levels and ages. And I speak Mandarin and English, and I have been teaching bilingually for almost my entire teaching career. Read More