Michael D  

4

  4.0 (4)

Instruments: Piano, Trombone
Styles: Classical, Pop, Funk

In 2012 I started teaching students in their homes.  I quickly learned the ins and outs of teaching and have never looked back.  In the fall of 2013 I gained additional experience while teaching music to kids at Ideal Day Care center.  At first I was unable to engage the students, but soon I was the star teacher at the day care center.  Watching their faces light up every time they saw me was truly one of the best experiences of my life. 

Piano: For beginning students who are children, I start by teaching out of the Faber Piano Adventure books.  I find that they focus on the more exciting aspects of music, such as sight reading.  This is different from the Bastion books which I think focus too much on more challenging (and boring) methods such as articulation.  The Faber books are great because they have fun short songs that the student can play with the teacher in a duet. Trombone: Practice, practice, practice!  The trombone is an extremely unforgiving instrument and this is why the words “practice” need to be repeated many times every lesson.  The student needs to understand that in order to get any enjoyment out of playing the trombone they need to practice regularly.  Once the student has a regular practice schedule, then their sound will improve and they will enjoy playing.  There can be almost no progress at all until the student finds regular practice time to work on their trombone exercises.  I practice trombone every day and I try to guide students towards figuring out how to get the most out of their practice time.