Alex B
Instruments: Piano, Voice, Keyboard
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel, Musical Theater, Electronic, Showtunes, Swing, Punk
Alex B
Instruments: Piano, Voice, Keyboard
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel, Musical Theater, Electronic, Showtunes, Swing, Punk
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
Bachelor of Arts, Northwestern University, Musical Theatre
2015 - Greg Cameron Essay Award, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
I am an experienced, energetic teacher interested in meeting students at their level, learning about their goals and interests, and tailoring a lesson program that will challenge and excite them in the right ways. I have been teaching piano and voice since graduating from Northwestern University, and I've also worked as a music director and consultant on multiple professional productions in Chicago. As a piano teacher, I have successfully taught students just starting out through those at the intermediate to advanced level. As a voice teacher, I am especially skilled in teaching contemporary singing (musical theatre, pop, rock, etc.) and working with students who are interested in preparing to pursue singing professionally and/or in school.
I began teaching in college, when I began working with the Actors Training Center, a theatre training program for high school students in Wilmette. Since then, I developed my own studio of voice and piano students and now work at Allegro Music Center in Park Ridge as a piano and voice teacher. Through these experiences, I have learned about the importance of regular practice for new student. I try to listen closely to students' goals and interests to create a relationship that is mutually beneficial.
PIANO: For beginners who are children, I usually start with the Alfred's Music for Little Mozart's series of 4 levels. After that, students can graduate to the Alfred's upper level book series, which includes theory and practical playing books as well as fun solo and popular music books leveled specifically for them. I also find the Fingerpower series userful as a supplement, and I make sure to work on scales once students have attained a basic mastery of the keyboard and various hand positions. For adults, I like to assess their skills and goals individually and choose a program that will work best for them. I usually still stick with the Alfred's books, but there are combination levels geared toward older learners. VOICE: For voice students, I start with vocal exercises and conversations that help me to get a full picture of a student's abilities and needs. I then start with a comprehensive program of breath support awareness, pitch matching and intervals, vowel shape, vocal placement, and more depending on what kind of singing (musical theatre, rock, pop, etc.) they are interested in developing. We will look at specific songs (I will assign or I will approve their suggestions) to work on technique in context.
To me, the most important thing about teaching is listening to a student's goals and interests. I do my best to keep my ears open as we work to make sure I am structuring a program that helps them feel fulfilled and challenged every step of the way. For younger students, the goal is to keep them engaged in music until the point when they have such mastery that they can see the results of their work tangibly. For older students, it's important that I keep things moving at a pace that they don't feel bored, but also slow enough that important concepts really sink in. By finding out what is important to each specific student, I can create a program that will keep things interesting and challenging the whole way through.
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