Piano Lessons in Riegelsville, PA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin

My goal is to foster a love of music through mastery, excellence and fun! I never want lessons to feel like something that has to be done, but rather, something to look forward to. I accomplish this by incorporating the interests of each student and including time in each lesson to improvise, create, or learn music they are interested in. I tailor my instruction to each student and keep track of progress so we know how to proceed. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar

Learning a musical instrument is very challenging and for most of us it doesn't come naturally. It's unfortunate when students become frustrated too quickly in the process and decide to quit out of frustration. In my style of teaching, it's very important that students feel some level of success no matter where they are in their own musical journey. Often I will perform lesson materials in unison along with students to help them if they are feeling anxious or uncomfortable. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Student Favorites (for both piano and guitar): Pop Rock, Folk partial list samples: Star Wars themes Somewhere over the Rainbow (ukulele too) We Are the Champions Mission Impossible Classical Gas Star Spangled Banner (National Anthem; Jimi Hendrix electric guitar with distortion) The Entertainer (Ragtime) Taylor Swift Series Classical and Flamenco partial list samples: Malaguena Leyenda, Albeniz Spanish Romance J.S. Bach: Air on a G String Bouree, from Lute Suite No 1, Carl Fischer Prelude from Cello Suite #1 Minuet Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring Sleepers Awake Beethoven: Fur Elise Fifth Symphony Moonlight Sonata Ode to Joy Djorak: Largo (New World Symphony) Study in Am Carcassi Hall of the Mountain King, Edvard Grieg Christmas Carols and Hymns, e.g., Silent Night, Carol of the Bells GUITARS: Classical Acoustic Steel Electric Ukelele PIANO Guitar Techniques and Skills: Posture Sight-reading Standard Notation Treble Clef; note values, dotted notes, rests, syncopation Tablature Names of Strings and names of notes of entire fretboard Open Chords vocabulary and fingering Chord Vocabulary: Minor, Major, Diminished, Augmented, 6th, Seventh, Maj7, 2nds, 9ths, Flat5, Flat9, 11th, 13th Arpeggios Octaves, Fifths, all Intervals Barred Chords (Full, Half, Two-Thirds, One-Third Bar vocabulary and Left Hand Fingering (All Keys) Cross-over fingering Finger per fret rule Finger per string rule Ladder Principle (Left Hand fingering) Positions (1-10): Strumming patterns for 2/4, , 4/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 Time Signatures Fingerpicking patterns for 2/4, , 4/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 Time Signatures Right Hand 3 and 4 finger simultaneous chord strike Rest strokes Free Strokes Flamenco Strumming variations Rasgueado Flat and plastic fingerpicking Harmonics, false harmonic, ping harmonics Tambora Snare sound Bongo effects String bending Left Hand damping Vibrato Tremolo Palm muting String snapping Left hand chord muting Righthand fretboard slapping percussion effects Glissando Hammer-ons, Pull-offs (Slurs) Power chords (Rock) Major, Minor, Pentatonic Scales, sharps, flats, accidentals Pizzicato Vocal accompaniment Chord progressions, deceptive cadence Improvisation Music Theory Songwriting Producing Concert/Recital Performance Presentation Skills/Mike Techniques Pro Tools Recording Software. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

For beginning students, I normally start with Alfred's Drum Method. This book works on the fundamentals of reading snare drum music and basic technique. Once the students grasps the basics on reading and playing with a metronome then we tend to move to Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials (while still working on the Alfred's Method). After the student has began to play with the audio tracks and have succesfully gone through a few lessons from Groove Essentials then we begin to work on some solo repertoire and personal favorites as well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Keyboard

Great music lessons are a mix of solid technique building and fun application of those skills. I always spend the first few lessons getting the student familiar with the basic technique of the instrument, and then quickly move on to duets, improvising, sight reading, solos, etc. that tie in with the current technique studies. Music can also be heard or read, so I try to strike a balance between reading music/theory and learning/improvising by ear. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

The main reason that I keep track of my student's growth, musical ability, learning speed, and musical history, is because every student is uniquely different when they are in the lessons. Some students are better with being pushed at a quicker pace, and others need more time to learn things. I hope that through my lessons, my students are able to find a passion for music and take that passion with them through their lives. Read More