Trombone Lessons in NYC New York

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Bass Guitar Synthesizer Accordion Ukulele Euphonium French Horn Tuba Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Chunking: Though it sounds funny, chunking is one of the most effective ways to practice. Chunking is breaking apart a larger piece of music into small sections, then those sections into small phrases, and those phrases into a few notes at a time. Learn each piece and then stitch it all back together. Slow to fast: Each chunk of music should be practiced slowly at first, with a metronome. Kick the metronome up a notch for every time you can play the chunk near-perfect, three times in a row. Work your way up to the desired speed, don't skip all the tempos between slow and fast. Value each note: The composer of a piece of music writes each note on purpose! You must do each note justice. Every single note you play has length, pitch, articulation, release, and volume. To play musically is to pay attention to all of these things for each and every note. Sing: Every instrumentalist can benefit from singing. Singing is a directly link to your brain. If you can sing something, you can play it. More on this in our lessons!

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
For me, there is no minimum age to start learning music. I learned music theory before I ever picked up an instrument! However, for all instruments, there is an issue of anatomy. Large, heavy instruments cannot be played effectively with the right technique, without being hurtful, if the student is unable to hold the instrument up. That doesn't mean there isn't an opportunity to start learning music. Another important aspect of a music lesson is communication. A child must be able to communicate in some way how the music sounds, feels, and even looks like. Some language skills are necessary for learning, even on a basic level without instruments.

When will I start to see results?
Results come with time and practice. Results also depend on the goals of the student. If a student is looking to learn the trumpet for fun, the instant that fun is being had, we've met the goal! If the goal is to get better to play covers with a friend, diligent practice will help speed up the process. Results are an important milestone to understanding progress, but a finite result is not representative of the purpose of a music lesson. Music lessons are for learning music! If you have left your lesson having learned something new about your instrument, about music, or about how music interacts with the world, you have results.

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