Piano Lessons in Brandywine, MD

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Synthesizer Banjo Ukulele Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Djembe

Mike comes from a varied and vast array of musical experiences. He has a bachelor's of music in jazz studies from UNC Wilmington and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Maryland. A highly trained performer on classical and modern piano as well as traditional and contemporary drum set and percussion give Mike an edge in his teaching abilities. Mike has been playing drums and percussion for over 25 years, piano for around 15, and has been studying voice for almost a decade. Read More

Instruments: Piano

My teaching methods vary depending on the student's needs and musical knowledge. Normally starting with general repertoire before expanding into different genres in order to obtain a feel for each person's skill or level of understanding. If they are younger, I tend to lean towards the more conventional approach with the Bastien Piano Basics or Piano Adventures for them to grow in the fundamentals. I have found that the more interest they display for piano, the more excited they become about exploring different styles of music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar

I have a lot of experience with curriculum development. My favorite books to teach from include Accent on Achievement, Alfred's Piano Book series and Essential Elements. However I can teach without a book on any instruments and compose assignments as I have done in the past. Even if I am teaching using a book, I usually do a lot of ear training and music theory based assignments that are not found in these books. Read More

Instruments: Piano Cello

I feel that my job as a teacher is to facilite my students' indivual growth and development as they make their own way along their musical paths in life.  My happiness comes from watching my students gain more confidence after reaching goals that they set for themselves in our sessions.  It's important to me that everyone feels good about themselves which is why I started a 'Student Spotlight' newsletter to highlight accomplishments such as completing a book or performing with the school orchestra. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

Building rapport is vital in a student-teacher relationship. I encourage the student to make personal goals of progress in addition to the goals I have set for them. I give the student constructive feedback on progress and acknowledge accomplishments. I try keeping an inspirational and open-ended environment for exploration, for music making is fun! I love contributing to the education and growth of fellow musicians. Read More

Instruments: Piano

Over 15 years teaching private piano lessons 4 years providing private piano lessons at Prince William Academy Approximately 12 years church service performance Read More

Instruments: Piano

I use piano adventures for most students starting off. With my more advanced students I use "The Russian School of Piano." Once the student is at an appropriate level, I then take them out of the books completely. At this time, we work on more difficult pieces in different time periods. Most students start playing Bach's music at first. This is to help the technique. Mozart also is introduced during this time, while this music is difficult, the interpretation is simplistic compared to Rachmaninoff. Read More