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BA, Columbia College, jazz instrumental performance
I'm a well rounded professional that loves music and sharing it with passionate people. Mental and physical health has always been a priority in my life and I want that to shine through in my lessons. in 2013, I grauduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz instrumental performance. There I played with the Columbia College Jazz Ensemble as well as many other prestigious groups and master musicians. Recently I have been fortunate enough to live out my life long dream of touring the world playing music that I love.
I began teaching lessons after college in my home town of Boothbay Maine, working with young players in order to get a grasp for the teaching world. Over the past five years I have been teaching lessons off and on to various experience levels and learning styles which I believe makes me ready for anything. Seeing my students improve has been the most rewarding experince of my life. I take great pride in my ability to adapt to various students. My main goal is to make the learning process as fun, creative and fruitful as possible!
Designing practice programs that cater to the learning styles for each student is something I take pride in and find to be most effective and efficient way to improve. I will get my students prepared for any situation they want to take part in, whither it be auditions, recitals, casual gigs, recording sessions, and more. With that said, I believe passion is the most important aspect of improving on any instrument, and will be made a priority so that the student is able to pursue whatever playing style or genre they love most. My lessons typically include warm up, stretch, book work and creative playing. My various warm ups include the open closed open technique with rudiments, great hands for a life time by the Tommy Igoe, and the rudimental Ritual by the late great Alan Dawson. The books I work from are rooted in jazz and pop but can be applied to anything in-between, with repetition as the key element. Mindfulness in the musical world (being aware of how your mind and body works best with your instrument) is something all of my students will learn to love and embrace as a tool for all areas of life, not just music performance.
Mindfulness, patience, understanding, and passion are a few words that describe my teaching style. Creating a respectful and creative space for my students to learn is very important to me. I believe if a teacher better understands how a student learns, and what they're passionate about, the quicker the student will improve. Each student, with my help, keeps a handwritten log of what we work on in each lesson, making home practice more productive and organized. The practice log or journal was the single most effective approach that took my playing to the next level.