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Bachelor Degree: The College of New Jersey
Bachelor Degree: Rowan University
Teaching Certificate: The State of New Jersey
I am a motivated and extremely personable music teacher with years of classroom and private lesson experience. I have been playing the trumpet for almost 20 years. I studied with Joe Perrino and Dr. Gary Feinberg, both graduates of Carnegie Mellon University. I hold a bachelor's degree in Music Education with a concentration in trumpet from The College of New Jersey and a bachelor's degree in Music Industry with a double concentration in business and technology from Rowan University. I am also a certified K-12 music teacher in the state of New Jersey.
I began teaching private lessons as a high school student. I was the section leader in marching band and would often work one-on-one with trumpet players in my section. I began teaching in-home lessons during my first four years of undergrad. After earning my music education degree, I began teaching privately at the Adam's Music Conservatory in Maple Shade, New Jersey. I also worked for 3 years as an elementary music teacher in Lindenwold, New Jersey. There, I taught general music for grades k-4 and I conducted an after-school chorus program.
During the pursuit of my second degree, I used my music education background to work with recording artists in the studio. As a producer, I conducted vocal warm-ups, communicated specific styles to instrumentalists, and determined the overall arrangement of a song. In addition to music education, I am an experienced arranger, producer, mix engineer, and live-sound engineer.
For beginner students in fourth grade or above, I like to work with the method book that their school district uses. Most districts use Essential Elements from Hal Leonard or Standards of Excellence. If the student is also a beginner at reading music, we will focus on music fundamentals and basic theory to build their notation reading skills. I like to integrate songs the students choose, whether it be from a movie or a pop song, to not only reinforce their techniques, but to get the student excited about practicing and performing music.
For more advanced students, we will be using the Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet in addition to solo repertoire other supplementary materials. For students in second or third grade who are interested in playing a wind instrument, but are not quite big enough yet, I offer recorder lessons. Learning the recorder is an excellent introduction to playing a wind instrument. We will focus on music fundamentals like notation reading but also breath support, articulation, and proper fingering techniques. These skills will directly transfer to any wind instrument they choose to play as they get older.
I strongly believe in utilizing differentiation in teaching music which is why I gravitate towards private instruction. I understand that every student has different learning capabilities which is why I cater each lesson to each student's unique abilities. I work with each student at their own pace to learn and improve upon their skills as a musician. I also make sure to include music that they are excited to play as a way to encourage musical stewardship and reinforce music fundamentals and instrumental techniques.