Randall D
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Gospel
Randall D
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles:
Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Gospel
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
MS, University of St. Francis, Training and Development
BS, University of St. Francis, Organizational Leadership AS,
Joliet Junior College, Biology
I have no formal awards for music, but I have achieved many of my goals within the context of performing and teaching. I am most proud of the students I have had over the years who for the most part are now worship pastors and outstanding instructors in their own right. I have performed in venues both small and intimate and large and amazing but giving away what has been so freely given to me remains the central focus of who I have become. Through missions trips, I have had the opportunity to play with musicians from around the world including two visits to St. Petersburg, Russia. The great thing about music is that it transcends language barriers bringing with it a great deal of personal achievement and reward.
Though music has always been a central part of who I am, I also had other goals in life that moved me away from formal study early on. Initially after leaving active service duty I thought I was headed toward a career in medicine. As a young father and husband however, life happened and I began to shift to my true calling as a carpenter and now safety and health professional. I went on to receive both a BS in Organizational Leadership and an MS in Training and Development from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL. Thought-out these events I remained true to studying and perfecting my instrument through the tutelage of my mentor and the hundreds of performance opportunities I have been blessed to participate in.
My passion for workforce and artistic development have always been intertwined. I will always strive to bring the finest educational experience to life whether it be OSHA safety standards or music fundamentals. Becoming a mentor in these areas has become a great joy in my life. I love being able to give away what has been so freely given to me.
My teaching experience stems back to my early days in the service as I began to be recognized for my leadership skills. I have always loved school and the attainment of knowledge which has helped me to successfully change the direction of my career path and teach at the college level. I have taught guitar, bass, and music fundamentals for the Co-op students who are home schooled in my community both in group settings and individually in my home studio off and on for the last twenty-five years part-time continuing to encourage creative process in learning in music and in life.
I generally try to customize my instruction plan to meet what students are interested in. For the beginner, I like to incorporate Hal Leonard's Essential Elements for guitar and I reference Edward Ayola's Winning Rhythms quite a bit to assist in the hurdles of understanding tempo and rhythm. This provides students with the opportunity to get familiar with terminology, playing and rest positions, string sequence, tuning, finger and picking concepts, chord structure and much more.
Though my focus is always on application, theory believe it or not can be fun to learn as well. Through a simple process taught to me, I present theory on one sheet of paper that provides all the information you will ever need to know. Now of course volumes of reference are available and one could spend a lifetime and still never get to all of it, but my teaching method provides a sound foundation in theory that makes application easier and most importantly gives students the language ability to talk concepts as well as apply them to their instruments. These include a greater understanding of the interval and number methods commonly used to piece together complete compositions.
My mission is to help bring about appreciation and application for music in new and exciting ways. For the beginner and intermediate student that involves basic handling and care of their instrument, a bit of history and music theory, and of course our main focus of hands-on application. For the intermediate to the more advanced student, our focus leans more toward a deeper understanding of theory as application and technique progresses. Students will progress without fail at their own pace. Tailoring instruction to their skill level will encourage realistic goal setting by also incorporating the types of music they are inspired by. Whether worship and praise, classic rock, rhythm and blues, jazz and so on, I do all I can to bring to life those songs students are inspired to learn.
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