Introduction: (Please note: all lessons are held online, with limited in-home availability. Current availability is on Wednesday and Thursday.)
No one ever regrets learning an instrument… yet many grow old wishing they had taken music lessons! A talent they’ll be able to develop their entire life, your children will thank you for giving them the chance to learn music. And bonus points for you: after just a couple years, you’ll have free entertainment every Christmas!
Or maybe YOU’RE the one that wishes to learn! It is never too late to begin learning an instrument. Everybody has the ability, and if you’re determined and interested, there’s nothing stopping us from achieving this very special goal. (Interested in learning to compose? Scroll to the bottom to learn more.)
Everybody learns differently, and everybody likes different things. Whether it’s improvising or singing alongside a song you love or reading through a classical concerto, I’ll help prepare you or your child to tackle a wide variety of styles, without missing out on any of the basics that turn good players into phenomenal musicians. We all know it’s not about being the best. It’s about having fun, and playing music well is definitely fun. Music lessons include:
1. Building a really strong foundation so it's easy to interpret or understand any part, and to play it with the right amount of practice.
2. Learning to sight-read music, so you can play it well as soon as possible.
3. Learning how to improvise (make-up) music, learn music by ear, and to understand and create chords, which lets you play music in different ways.
4. Play different styles from classical to jazz to popular music.
5. Learning how to practice efficiently so you can learn music as fast as possible.
6. Composing our own original music.
Practice makes perfect! Learning an instrument helps build self-confidence and discipline. If your child’s bored, distracted, or just needs a constructive hobby, music is a great place to get them interested in something that will help them feel better about themselves, and the effects will be felt across everything else they do, through better studying habits to a more patient, diligent work ethic.
It’s also relaxing! Stressed about work? Need an escape? Everybody has the power to learn an instrument. Seriously, there’s no such thing as “talent.” Just start lessons and get practicing! It really is that simple, and I’ll guide you through every step of the way.
I have a diverse background teaching students of all ages, from 3-year-olds to retirees alike, customizing what we learn to the individual student. We’ll learn how to read music just as easily as you read words; improvise and compose music of our own; and feel good playing any style: classical, jazz, rock, and all. My experience as a working musician in films, musical theater, and pop music, as well as classical concert music, allows me to appreciate and teach styles that many other instructors overlook, and I know full well that learning an instrument is not about becoming a professional; it’s about being able to connect to others or oneself through music… and also to just have fun! There’s no need to learn music we don’t like! It’s not about stuffing Beethoven into your kids’ ears… we just want to make music, be that Beethoven or Billy Joel.
Learning an instrument is one of those few skills that will genuinely last you your whole life. I don’t want to sugarcoat it: it takes time to learn an instrument. It takes practice, and sometimes it’s frustrating. But the results are well worth it.
Now get out there and make some music! But start by signing up for lessons. I can’t wait to get started!
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“What’s that chord?” “Why does all my music sound the same?” “How do I fix this voicing?” “I just can’t get it out of my head!” …sound familiar? You’ve probably hit a rut. Or maybe you’re just starting out. Either way, you want your music to sound new, exciting, and to come out exactly how you hear it in your head. Yes… you CAN learn to compose music, you CAN learn to be more creative, and you CAN learn to share your sound with the world.
Film music, classical, jazz… whatever your interest, all music comes from the same place, and by learning a handful of basic concepts, you can apply these to whatever style you’re trying to write. Learning to emulate another musician involves knowing what they’re doing. Learning to create a groundbreaking sound requires that you know what’s already been done, and how to achieve it. Step by step, we’ll work our way there.
You'll be learning from industry veteran with experience working in films, television, video games, musical theater, and live music, with clients ranging from Disney to Diana Ross, and numerous credits as a composer, orchestrator, arranger, producer, or recording artist.
We’ll learn how to write cool, interesting chord progressions, how to write beautiful melodies, and how to voice chords. We’ll learn how to control the mood of our music, from making it sound relaxed to adding tension wherever we want. Maybe you’re trying to write for an orchestra, or just a small band. By learning the basics, you can then easily break away from what’s been done and come up with something truly new… the goal of any aspiring composer!
Music adds life and emotion to everything we do; one cannot imagine a movie or even a car ride without it! It's also an inseparable part of our culture, and allowing others to appreciate, perform, and enjoy a vast array of music gives us all a better understanding of our society, as well as immense personal satisfaction!
