Music Lessons West

Instruments: Guitar, Music, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Acoustic Guitar

For beginner students who are children (or for students who are looking for a more traditional curriculum involving reading standard notation), I typically begin with Hal Leonard's Guitar Method books to develop a foundation and familiarity with reading notes and handling the instrument with correct posture and technique. For students who simply want to play the music they enjoy and prefer using tab over standard notation, I like to jump right in by learning first-position chords, which is usually followed by common finger-picking patterns/strumming patterns, and playing songs of the student's preference. Read More

Instruments: Piano, Voice, Synthesizer, Mallet Percussion, Conga, Music, Keyboard, Djembe

I like to keep the learning simple and basic for the beginning students(children adult), so I typically start with excerpts from the Robert Pace series or John Thompsons piano books from The Willis Music Company. That way I can assess the student to see if they can understand music auditorily, visually and kinesthetically. For my mid to advance students, I access them through customized questions a series of strategic musical exercises to find out what the students are interested in, and assist them in their goals on the level that they can understand. Read More

Instruments: Piano, Drums, Ukulele, Mallet Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Conga, Latin Percussion, Music, Keyboard, Djembe

I want each student to LOVE their lessons and LOVE their instrument, so I try to incorporate many things the student enjoys into the lessons. I view myself as merely a tour guide for the student, but they drive the bus. I give them the tools and well rounded foundation they need to successfully accomplish their own musical goals. Constructivism is a big part of my approach as a teacher. Read More

Instruments: Guitar, Ukulele, Lute, Music, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Acoustic Guitar

I want to see all of my students grow in the direction in which they wish to grow. I want students to learn what they wish to learn, and I provide a set of goal posts that guide the student to play with a combination of technique and musicality. The greatest thing I emphasize to a student is trying to play music in their own voice. The most fun in music is to interpret and improvise on music no matter what the genre. Read More

Instruments: Voice, Music

I am comfortable working with any style of singing and I know how to teach the sound that is appropriate for each one. I've always been motivated to understand how the human voice functions and, by extension, how to teach more effectively so in 2017 I became a Certified Mcclosky Voice Technician from the McClosky Institute of Voice after 3 ywEA studying anatomy, physiology, voice disfunction and disease, and a technique that helps the student learn how to sing and speak with complete relaxation and flow. Read More