Piano Lessons in Norwalk, CT

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Bass Guitar Synthesizer Accordion Ukulele Euphonium French Horn Tuba Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
I think the trickiest thing on any instrument is time. Time is having a sense for rhythm and tempo. The hard part about time is that every style is not created equal. In Latin music, time pushes forward so rhythms feel almost rushed. In swing and many styles of jazz, time pulls backwards for some instruments, and pushes ahead for others, coming together to make a "groove." In every rhythm there is a small subdivision that determines when notes happen. It takes years to teach your body to feel and lock into time the way you need to in each style.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I don't use any one book. While the standard choices for books on each instrument have great content to practice, they are all very different in their explanations and sometimes, they provide little to no explanation. I tend to use a combination of three or four books to vary the content that is played and take advantage of all the different ideas in the books. After all, every book is written by an expert teacher with a valid and useful opinion. But, sometimes a book does not contain the joy of music, the fun of music, and the act of creation that occurs each time a student plays their instrument.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
A normal practice session for me looks like this: 1. Warm up -Breathing exercises, to expand and strengthen the lungs and surrounding muscles -Buzzing and singing, to get my lips and ears in check -Long tones and drones, to make the most beautiful sound I can -Scales and patterns, to increase my musical vocabulary in all keys -Flexibility exercises, to make sure I am playing without tension and without strain 2. Sight reading, to keep my musical literacy skills up 3. Etudes/performance pieces, to accomplish creating music that is meant to be performed and practice the act of performing 4. Arranging/composing, using all my inspiration from playing to hash out new ideas for new music, or re-arranging existing music for new instrumentation

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
I have two music degrees! The first is my Bachelor's degree in Performance. In my undergraduate career, I wanted to focus on trumpet and tuba and the art of performing. I chose a classical degree program at New York University to learn from experts in my field that also happened to be the top, most-called NYC performers on those instruments. I chose performance to hone my technique for my own fulfillment and also so that I could share what I learned with my students. My second degree is a Master's degree in music education, teaching all grades K-12. I chose this degree to master the art of teacher and sharing musical ideas. The program focused on instrumental and choral classroom teaching in Pre-K, elementary, middle, and high schools, for both mainstreamed and special education students. I wanted to feel comfortable teaching any student and helping any student, regardless of circumstance, to reach their musical goals.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
My dream piece to perform is any piece that I helped create, either through commissioning a composer, or through collaboration. I love to make music with my friends, colleagues, students, and fellow musicians. One of the greatest things about music is that is transcends language, boundaries, borders, and walls. When you create music as a group, there is a collective feeling of joy and as a result, music is born into the world: as a soloist performing music someone wrote for me, a brass quintet collaborating with amazing players, or with a huge orchestra, bringing a mass of sound to life.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
If I weren't a musican, I would be an animator. I love cartoons. When I was growing up, my father worked as an art dealer for Disney, Warner Brothers, and Universal. I was surrounded by art and grew up drawing. I initially wanted to pursue a career as an animator before I discovered music. I have a very artistic mind, so I have always been drawn to the act of creation and art. One of my hopes for the future is to animate as a hobby and get good enough to bring animation to the music I create and record.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
My favorite genre of music to play is funk/R&B. Much of my training in jazz and theory comes into play in this style. Creative chords progressions meet overwhelmingly groovy rhythms. Many professional musicians who play funk and R&B are incredible technicians on their instruments and can play any style they want. They choose funk or R&B for the creative freedom that the music brings through collective improvisation. Each voice is important in this style, but each part meshes together to make something fun.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
As stated previously, my first instrument was French horn. I began playing in private lessons in the 3rd grade, a year before band was offered in elementary school. As a result, when I joined the 4th grade band, I was well ahead of the class and found myself bored and yearning for a challenge. I picked up the trumpet, thinking that learning a new instrument would bring my this challenge. Little did I know, it would spark an appetite to create every unique sound that instruments have to offer. I added trombone, electric bass, guitar, tuba, piano, saxophone, flute, clarinet, euphonium, ukulele, and others soon after.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
This is an interesting question. In my family, music skipped a generation. My maternal grandmother was a piano player and loved to play tango and popular music from her time. My mother and father both never played an instrument, even still. My three siblings and I all play at least one instrument, my sisters mainly being singers, and my brother being a saxophone and piano player who learned guitar later on. Though none of them pursued music like I did, they were all involved in ensembles in college and still hold that lifelong love of music that comes from playing and practicing.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I decided to become a professional musician sometime in middle school. I just found that music was something I was very good at, to the point where I felt my mind was meant for it. I was never great with math or language, never very good at sports. I just could not see myself as a businessman, doctor, or lawyer, at that age. When I found a talent and love of music, I decided that's what I wanted to spend my life doing. Teaching music became a passion once I was in high school working for a private lesson studio.

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