Benton C  
Instruments: Piano, Keyboard
Styles: Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Funk

I was my own first student. I began teaching myself how to play the piano over 10 years ago. Throughout this process I learned how to approach some typically confusing topics in much more digestible ways. A benefit to starting out as a self taught musician is that I had to learn how to make sense of things myself rather than memorizing information that a teacher fed me. A main focus of mine as a teacher is encouraging regular practice routines where the student can solidify the information we discuss in our lessons as well as uncover new questions they may have about the subject. Additionally, I like to encourage students to focus on their mindset with each notes. Playing music can be a very meditative activity, if you let it.

For beginning students, I start with the basics which includes proper posture and hand placement, identifying notes and keys on the keyboard and the theory behind identifying major and minor scales as well as triads. We will also begin with the basics to reading sheet music and move into chord charts once an understanding of triads has been established. Once a solid foundation has been created, we will dive into learning some contemporary music and use favorite songs for analysis. So much can be learned from breaking a song down and looking at everything that makes it a song. At this point, I can cater lessons to meet the needs of the student. If a student wants to learn more about songwriting, using song analysis, we can identify key concepts that can be used in songwriter development. In addition to the fundamentals of music and theory, I will guide the student through the mental and emotional aspects of music as well as building listening skills so that they student can identify various musical elements (such as scale degrees) by ear. Ultimately, I want to ensure that music is fun for the student.