Music Lessons in Stilesville, IN

Instruments: Piano

I want to instill a passion for music in my piano students. To do this, I let each student progress at his or her own pace. I encourage this by setting realistic goals for my students at each lession and acknowledging the small accomplishments. By finding out what inspires a student, I can tailor my instruction to keep them engaged and eager to learn. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Banjo

I start with a few different books depending on the student's interest. I try to encourage younger students to learn to read music. I have often used the Hal Leornard Guitar Method. Often adult students want to focus more on learning chords and how to play a few songs. Sometimes I use the Hal Learnard Tab Method or my own 16 page beginner's guitar book. Read More

Instruments: Piano Music Keyboard

My teaching philosophy has five basic elements that I always follow: differentiation, engagement, feedback, ownership, assessment and questioning. I teach students with different music levels, backboards, and ages. I try my best to start with what my student can do then extend within student's own context, so each of my students is very unique and special for me. And I always hope to cultivate my students, especially young students to become a better person through their music learning journey which is how I learned most from my music teachers. 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: 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 Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Clarinet

Age-friendly materials are my favorite to use. For very young pianists I often buy books with lots of color and large print like Kjos's Piano Party. Kjos and Alfred are two of my favorite publishers, but I am willing to work with materials your family may already own. Flashcards are an important tool for many children to become fluent at naming/reading notes. I also like to have students complete written theory assignments, and, to help students from getting bored, I often "reward" them with single pieces of fun sheet music that can be performed for recitals and competitions. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I began giving guitar lessons around the age of 15. I was eventually hired as an instructor at GuitarWorks in Greenwood, Indiana where my teaching experience blossomed. I was able to work with five year olds to fifty year olds of all skill levels and musical interests. This greatly broadened my approach for each individual student to tailor my lessons according to their interests and goals. As I know from my own experience, an instructor can most certainly become a great influence and role model to their students. Read More