Music Lessons in South Riding, VA

Instruments: Drums

My approach to teaching starts with the rudiments. Every Student of mine has to have a good grasp on what stickings are avalible to them. Following the studies of rudiments, i will teach them about note values and reading music notation. Once they have a fair understanding of the fundamentals, i will then begin to assign homework where they can read whole peices of music and scores. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

Nothing is more important to me than seeing my students develop not only their skills as a player but also true passion for music. Whether I'm working with a youngster or an adult, I always employ a kind, encouraging and patient teaching style. First and foremost, I aim to create a fun and relaxed learning environment. When a student is hitting a wall with a particular skill, I will then move on to something else, to then return to the skill after giving the student a mental break. Read More

Instruments: Drums

Timing is everything with drums. Students will learn the basic beats while learning how to add in appropriate fills to make what they're playing sound whole and professional. For intermediate students I will assess where they are in their playing and style they want to go for. I will then take that and teach them new ways to get to where they want to go. Being a drummer is a very fun activity, but being a great drummer takes patience and work. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I see myself as a facilitator, helping students discover new elements of music and music theory and building upon those to create a greater understanding of reading and playing music both for piano and voice. Often i will model by playing a song first so that the student cannot not only hear what is sounds like but observe my technique, finger changes, dynamic ranges, tempo and so on. There are many elements to performing a piece besides just playing the correct notes! Read More

Instruments: Voice Music

My teaching style really depends on the student! Some want to learn for fun, others are studying for exams or college. As a result its really important for me to tailor my lessons towards each student and what they would like to work on. For some that could mean working on vocal technique, others working on music and repertoire. Im adept at adapting to each students individual talents and vocal needs and therefore its important that for that each student progresses at a pace that they are comfortable with. Read More

Instruments: Voice

For beginning students I stress the importance of reading music, so I heavily work on their rhythmic and melodic vocabulary. I am not set on a particular methods book because I am a firm believer that all students learn differently and some methods work better for some than others. I like to be adaptive in my teaching and mold my lessons to fit the needs of each individual student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trombone

I combine patience with an upbeat demeanor to provide entertaining and informative lessons for students. I want my students to improve and I understand that in order to improve I need to motivate my students. Kids see results working with me and that is why they enjoy the lessons. Soon they find themselves wanting to practice on their own time and really love the experience seeing themselves grow as a musician. Read More