Robert G  
Instruments: Piano, Voice, Music
Styles: Classical, Pop, Country, Musical Theater, Opera, Showtunes

My teaching experience dates back to my time as an undergraduate. As a freshman in my music education program, I volunteered to be the music director and conduct the orchestra for a production of “The Addams Family” Musical. The show was put on by a student organization on campus. I taught all of the actors their music. Fast forward two years later. I transferred to Shawnee State University to study musical theatre. While there, I tutored several classmates in musical theatre, taught private piano lessons, and worked with several classmates on their voice pieces for our recital at the end of each semester. As the only student to play piano and have a classical background in voice, I was the go-to-guy when people needed help. After graduating, I worked as a choreographer for a local community theatre, I taught gymnastics (former gymnast of 8 years), and continued to work with students and friends in both voice and piano.

For beginner students who are adults, I tend to begin with Alfred’s Basic Adult All in One Course. It is a wonderful book that teaches beginning theory and piano concepts at the perfect pace for adult students. As we progress through the book together, I begin to give pieces such as Clementi’s Sonatina in C (first movement). We start at a slower tempo and work each hand individually until the student is comfortable to try both hands. We gradually increase the tempo over the next several weeks. Pieces like that will be rehearsed at the end of each lesson after working through a few passages in Alfred’s book. At the beginning, I ask my adults what music they’re interested in learning. I like to gear my warmup exercises and cool down exercises towards that style and I always put aside a few minutes at the end to work on whatever music they desire.