Piano Lessons in Georgetown, NY

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Recorder Double Bass Music

For beginning woodwind students, I have had success using the Rubank method books as a starter. Alongside a method book, I like to work on material chosen by the student, as well as my own supplemntal exercises. It is important for the student to understand the musical concepts associated with the repertoire, as well as focusing on performing well. I also prefer to have my students keep a practice log book, in order to track their progress. For piano and music theory, I like to use the John Thompson method for beginner students, and the Bastien Piano Literature series for more advanced students. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Music

I have been teaching for 5 years to a wide range of ages. I take an individualistic approach to teaching, tailoring my lessons to my students. I teach violin for all levels and beginner/intermediate piano. I encourage all my students to learn how to read music and have a basic understanding of theory. I prefer a mix of a musical and technical approach and encourage a slow but steady timeline for learning. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music

My teaching style is very thorough and patient. I welcome mistakes of course! It is not about how often you fall down, but about how you get up again. If you want to work hard, I will work hard as well. My students know the importance of regular practice in order to build dependable muscle memory in their playing. In a lesson we will spend half the amount of time working on technical building exercises and half the time working on repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Recorder Piccolo

The most difficult skill for beginner flutists is sound production. For beginning students we will focus the first couple weeks primarily on making a sound and forming the correct embouchure, or lip position. We learn simple tunes by ear during this time and begin to associate them with musical notation. Once a good understanding of sound production is achieved we begin to broaden the range and learn new notes. Repertoire will depend on skill level and the amount of practice time that a student devotes to the flute. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar

For my students, I will typically start them with Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method Grade 1.  Once I feel they have a handle on basic chords and techniques we may introduce a modern tune into the lesson mix and work from there.  Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Recorder Piccolo

My greatest accomplishment in teaching over the years has been to help students enjoy the music that they really want to play. This takes a great deal of devotion and research into finding the resources that students need to find the music they love best. I am a firm believer in a positive approach to teaching, concentrating not on mindless rote repetition, but on the artistic method where students can learn to improve and always make the music more and more impressive. Read More

Instruments: Piano Organ

For all students I stress fluent music reading and a natural stress-free technique. For the early stages I have had good results with Faber's Piano Adventure series, finding that these progress at a reasonable pace and build reading skills logically. For technique I like FJH Music's Accelerando series. These short exercises have a big impact on the student's technique and reading, and bring maximum results in a short time. I also like to assign keyboard harmony drills of my own invention which help the student understand how chords are built and how they are linked within each key. Read More