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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Mclean . 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 Guitar Keyboard Acoustic Guitar
For beginner students I will utilize either the "Alfred's Basic Piano Library" or "Faber - Hal Leonard's Piano Adventures" with the particular books selected to fit the student's age and skill level. I also enhance lessons by integrating scale pattern practice as well as exploration with simple boogie-woogie bass patterns; encouragement to sing and play where the lessons provide such an arrangement; and tinkering creating very simple melody lines and lyrics. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice
For beginning students I try to start with the essentials. It is important for young children to become familiar with the instrument, the proper way to hold an instrument. The proper way to sit when playing or stand while singing. Fundamentals at the earliest ages are essential. Practicing the fundamentals leads to success which leads to a desire to learn more about the instrument. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice
My teaching experience began during college, roughly four years ago, while teaching several private students during a summer break. While studying music in college, I received training in topics such as keyboard pedagogy, keyboard literature, collaborative piano, improvisation, music theory, and musicianship (aural skills). I worked as a Music Theory/Musicianship Grader and Tutor for several years, and I assisted in some group piano classes. For the past three years, I have spent a lot of time working as a collaborative pianist for vocalists and instrumentalists, performing in juries, recitals, and other student evaluations. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice
There is no set method that works for each student. For young children that are just beginning, I like to start them with the Bastien Piano Basics or Piano Adventures series, but I will supplement these books with other material depending on the student's needs. I like to give beginner students little pieces that will help them understand the fundamentals of music in context so that they are still making music while they learn the basics - this keeps them from getting bored! Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar
First and foremost, I want to know what your goals are! I have proven methods to make the fundamentals fun, and as you progress we will get deeper into music theory so that you will attain a wide array of knowledge that you didn't even know existed! I like to push my students to push themselves, practice what they are interested in and expand their musical palette! The most important thing is to have fun! Read More
Instruments: Piano
I'm an ardent instructor and music lover that believes in the saying that music is the soundtrack of our lives. Through my studies, lessons, and performances, I have learned to appreciate the rich diversity found in music. A joy that I love sharing with all of my students. In 2016, I enjoyed participating in an international competition that served to further my experiences as a musician. All in all, I believe the study of music should always be an enjoyable experience no matter what your musical aspirations may be. Read More
Instruments: Piano Synthesizer Music Keyboard
When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
The defining moment for me occurred when I was 3 years old during a choir rehearsal at the small Presbyterian church in Scotland not far from the small farm on which I was raised. The choir was working on the Bach Motet, Jesu Meine Freude. The resonance of the voices and the organ in the small sanctuary brought me to a place that I, to this day, cannot describe. That was the moment I realized I would study music for the rest of my life.
Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Music runs very deeply in my family. My mother's mother, and hers before her and hers before her were all concert pianists and composers. My paternal grandfather was a successful song/jingle writer. My father was an oil painter, a poet, and a master gardener. All of the disciplines, no matter what they are, have similar traits in their respective philosophies and approaches. Music just happen to be very heavily favored in my family. I can draw just enough to do well at Pictionary! What can I say, I love and respect all the forms of art in every walk of life!
If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I'm bashful to say I can play guitar just well enough to get through a respectable camp fire! Keyboards, Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano, these are a few of my favorite things! But piano is, and will always be, my first love. I always wanted to study cello, though! Who knows, I still might!
What is your dream piece to perform and why?
Chopin Piano Concerto in E minor.
The lyrical romance between Melody and Harmony is beyond reproach, and words. At least it is for me. This piece has changed my life many times.
If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would most assuredly be a bookstore owner; a purveyor of all things literary with a penchant for rare 19th and early 20th century authors. Literature is my other passion!!! Heavens, I still might pursue this dream too!
What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Goodness! This depends on the day! Currently I am deeply immersed in the study of French Third Stream Jazz; a marvelous marriage between the Baroque period and Modern Jazz. I also love songwriting!
If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
My undergraduate Degree is in Music Composition. I chose composition because I adore the essential mechanics of how music works and a composition degree would integrate all of the various disciplines including theory, history, performance, analysis, formal structure, harmony, ear training (vitally important!!), and musicology.
What does a normal practice session look like for you?
My practice session is different depending on the goals involved, however it would typically be an hour of warm-up (i.e. scales, arpeggios, short and deliberate hands apart/hands together exercises, etc.) and then, based on the waypoints that I am working toward, moving into some sight reading and finally passage work. The practice session will be slightly different based on whether I am practicing jazz, classical, or studying fingering techniques. Often I will just take the time to improvise for a few hours for my own enjoyment (and hope the neighbors aren't annoyed!)
Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
Each of the popular prevailing methods has their own strengths and weaknesses, no different than each of us as human beings. I have had success using each of these well-crafted methods, but my most important strides as a teacher have been tailoring a custom method based on the individual needs, goals, and challenges (and strengths!) of the students. I am happy to utilize any method that will keep the student interested! Above all Keep It Fun!!
23 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 Mclean to students of all ages and abilities.
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