Mason E  
Instruments: Piano, Voice
Styles: Classical, Pop, Folk, Musical Theater, Showtunes

In college, I taught private music theory lessons to a given curriculum. I also music directed a male-voiced a cappella group, conducted a chamber choir, and music directed and accompanied several musical theater productions. Each of these, to different degrees, requires a one-on-one approach, so no matter what the setting, I am always working personally with the student to determine what it is they want to achieve and help them to get there. Whether it's choosing repertoire or finding a style, music instruction is ultimately very personal, even in a larger group setting.

When I took piano lessons, my teacher simultaneously taught John Thompson, John Schaum, and Alfred's Basic piano courses, which was a bit overwhelming! For children in particular, I believe that John Thompson does the most effective job of working from the fundamentals up to the classics. That said, private lessons are very personal, and I'm happy to work with any student to find the repertoire that is most engaging to them. Vocal lessons are a bit different, as everyone has sung to some degree, even it's just to themselves! For beginning vocal students, I start by simply teaching a student how to warm up; from there, we work together to determine what a student's natural strengths and weaknesses are and select repertoire that the student is personally interested in that is also appropriate to their level of proficiency. Either way, expect to learn a bit of music theory along the way and to gain an appreciation for both how and why we do what we do.