Benjamin W  

5

  5.0 (4)

Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Voice, Accordion, Banjo, Ukulele, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Electronic, Showtunes, Punk

I started regularly teaching private lessons in 2019. I worked at the Wilmette Parks District, the Park District of Highland Park, Dynamic Music, and as a freelance teacher. I also was a music director for the Wilmette Children's Theatre, the Florida Repertory Theatre, and Highland Park's summer programming. I've been playing guitar since I was eight, piano since I was twelve, and I've been singing my whole life. I also had four years of performance training at the University of Central Florida, where I was a musical theatre performance major. I've performed with the Gulf Coast Symphony, Winter Park Playhouse, Pride Film and Plays, and the Chicago Kids Company. I'm a big believer in musical agency and creative agency when teaching, and I want my students to feel fully capable creating music that they like to listen to. I've known too many of my peers to stop making music because they lost the love for making it.

Voice: I focus on strengthening vocal consistency with healthy vocal practices. I also want to strengthen the musicianship of singers by developing initial sight-reading and other aural skills. A lesson typically would consist of a third of vocalizing/warmups, and two-thirds of working on one to two songs to train the voice and build repertoire material. With zoom, i can act as the accompanist or we can find a solution with tracks depending on the scenario. I also recognize that every student is different and will cater the material and course of study to the individual (based off a mix of my observations, what the students communicated goals are, and what the parents communicated goals are) above all of this, my main goal is to spark and maintain the joy for singing, and to foster the thought that control over the voice just boosts the passion for it. Piano: I typically teach out of Fabre's piano adventures series. this establishes technique, aural skills, sight-reading skills, and then I'll add on my own exercises for compositional skills and improvisational skills. I am flexible to work outside of the books as well, and to learn songs and material that might be outside of the book. I also recognize that every student is different and will cater the material and course of study to the individual (based on a mix of my observations, what the students communicated goals are, and what the parents communicated goals are) above all of this, my main goal is to spark and maintain the excitement for making music! The only reason I'm still pursuing music today is because i love it and i want to encourage others to do the same. Guitar/Ukulele/Banjo: I like to teach guitar, banjo, and ukulele like I was taught, which is through an exploration of music that the student's already like. I start with basic technique, then move towards chords and other chord shapes, then we would move to more technical tablature. there would be a lot of opportunities to practice compositional skills and improvisational skills. I also recognize that every student is different and will cater the material and course of study to the individual (based on a mix of my observations, what the students communicated goals are, and what the parents communicated goals are) above all of this, my main goal is to spark and maintain the excitement for making music!