847-235-6117
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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Buffalo Grove . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Piano Flute Piccolo
I am neither strict nor laid back. In order to improve, however, students are required to practice everyday (even if it is for 15 minutes a day). I do not demand perfection from my students, but I do expect students to put in the effort to learn. I truly want to teach students to play music and I want to encourage students to find joy in making music. Read More
Instruments: Piano Trombone
The methods I use to teach depend on a number of factors. For enrolled in beginner band at their school, I will use whichever method their school is using. If the school is not using a specific method, I use the Rubank method supplemented with my own materials. For more advanced players I assign various etude books, jazz play along books, and method books based on the students needs. I provide all the materials for my beginning piano students for the first few months, then assign method books based on the student's interests. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Keyboard
For beginning piano students, I begin by teaching them the C major scale and many nursery rhyme songs that can be played at that key. I then elevate to simple blues and gospel songs in the Key of C for example, the C major blues. I will then teach C minor and the introductory song, Blue Bossa to acclimate students to the sound of C minor. Beginner students that seek to learn classical music will be introduced to Notation music theory from rhythm dictation, reading the grand staff and the introductory piece, Minuet in G, by Johann Sebastian Bach. Read More
Instruments: Piano Trumpet
For beginner students, Hal Leonard's Essential Elements provides a simple and easy to understand method to learning an instrument. For trumpet students, I like to integrate Earl D. Irons, H. L. Clarke, Arban, Stamp, Chicowicz and Caruso studies. In addition to technique, these books offer etudes and duets. For jazz improvisation students, iRealPro, The Real Book and Jamey Abersolds ii-V-I book (Volume 3). In addition to these method books, I also like to stress the importance of sight reading; books like Alan Raphs Dance Band book and other solo repertoire provide good sight reading training. Read More
Instruments: Piano Violin
My teaching experience started with helping my friends in high school learn piano in the high school piano class. I already had experience and was assigned the role of tutoring my friends. After starting college, I took on a couple of private lessons with beginning students. I graduated from college and started teaching general music at the elementary school level. During my teaching, Ive gained skills of working with children of all ages. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice Viola Saxophone
Every student is unique. Therefore, a student's learning process should complement that uniqueness. I like to take time to figure out exactly what "speaks" to a student. What really works for some is completely lost on others. I tailor my instruction to their wants and needs, and take close note of the activities to which they respond well. In doing so, the student meets their goals in a quicker and more enjoyable way. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice
My methods are based in Suzuki as I am a strong believer that students musical capabilities can be developed regardless of their musical predispositions. For beginning students that have minimal background musical knowledge, I incorporate theory and aural skill trailing into the lessons to help the students learn to read their music and apply the theoretical and technical concepts learned in each class to the repertoire studied. Both my vocal and piano lessons typically focus on technique. Read More
Instruments: Voice
What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
1) Repetition, repetition, repetition. Break apart the piece into its individual components (rhythm, notes, words) and only start assembling it when each element is solidly and independently learned. Can you self-conduct the rhythms? Can you speak the rhythms on words? It's easier for the brain to process simpler tasks, and approaching the music from many different directions helps memory. 2) Distributed practicing. Practice for 15 minutes here and there throughout each day, with the intent of accomplishing a specific task or goal. If you have this kind of focus, it's easier to actually get things done, and you won't get bored and tired cramming music for 4 or 5 hours, once a week, which is horrible for memory and technique.
How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
A child can start learning about the voice at anytime, however it takes the vocal folds a while to mature. To avoid serious injury or longterm vocal health issues, it's best to wait to begin formal lessons until the student is 13 or older. Sometimes, if the student is younger than 14, people recommend learning the basics of music and performance through another instrument, like the saxophone or piano. This helps the child become a good musician before their voice is ready to take voice lessons in the studio. If the passion is there in high school, there's no reason they shouldn't pursue lessons.
When will I start to see results?
Lessons develop voices, but they also develop confidence, musicianship, and responsibility in the student. Results are determined by the effort expressed in lessons and when practicing at home. Students obtain new ways to use and think about their voice during the first lesson, and results could theoretically begin to manifest from this first hour or half hour in the studio. However, real and longterm change takes time, and every learns at different paces. There shouldn't be pressure to be perfect right away--there's a lot to learn!
Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
The methods of my lessons are lightly adapted from the teachings of my own instructor and mentor, W. Stephen Smith. He has had tremendous success with his students, who have gone onto garner some of the biggest professional careers in opera and musical theater today. He developed several "inventions" that work to disentangle the vocal apparatus and, in doing so, help to free the voice and musical expression behind it. His methods are universal, easily adjustable for each student, proven to work, and fun.
If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I have always had a passion for writing, and if I didn't choose to be a musician, I may have studied to become and author of fiction. Even now, it's a hobby of mine to read and write. This is an asset in the studio and practice room, because singing is a language art. The biggest difference between the voice and any other instrument is, of course, the ability to use words. An easy and clear delivery of text is a goal of mine every time I sing, because, without words, I might as well be playing any other instrument! I indulge in the luxury.
25 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Piano lessons in Buffalo Grove to students of all ages and abilities.
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