Home Biography Repertoire Listen Calendar Lessons Contact Links

Lessons Background and Service Description I have been teaching private lessons in Charlotte since 1997 I began offering a house-call (I come to you) lesson service in 2001, and today this is my sole method of operation Since 2001, I have consistently maintained between 15 and 30 students per week Age Range and Prerequisites I generally accept students age 7 and up (and occasionally 6 year-olds) Beginners are welcome; I also accept advanced students Lesson Length and Frequency Standard lessons are 30 minutes long this is usually the minimum lesson length I offer I also offer 45-minute lessons to older or advanced students Standard frequency is weekly this is usually the minimum lesson frequency I offer Older or advanced students may arrange for multiple lessons per week Exceptions Older or advanced students may arrange for infrequent lessons, depending on my schedule Older or advanced students may also arrange for longer lessons Rate $30.00 per 30-minute lesson $41.25 per 45-minute lesson $52.50 per 60-minute lesson (or two 30-minute lessons) ($11.25 per each additional 15 minutes) Payment I accept individual lesson payments (due each lesson) for the first 2 months After the first 2 months, I ask that each month be paid fully by the second lesson Occasionally, I can arrange to accept monthly payments at a different point within the month Cash and personal checks are accepted Absences Occasional absences due to sickness or emergency are excusable No charge You must notify me Shouldn't happen more than 2 or 3 times per year I don't like to teach contagious students! Occasional dates of conflict are excusable No charge Please notify me in advance I'll discuss this with you if I feel these are becoming too frequent Otherwise, I charge for absences If I cancel... I do not charge you if I cancel Please understand that I am also a performer, so I will sometimes need to cancel a lesson due to my performance schedule Usually I know of these well in advance, but it's not unusual for me to get called to fill in for another musician at the last minute Teaching Philosophy I teach and have interest in most styles of music, ranging from classical to modern I think music is fun I think music education can make you smarter the more you learn, the better you get at learning many subjects have fascinating parallels with music and its organizational system I do not expect students to be concert pianists I am not an appropriate teacher for students with such aspirations Ultimately I am a pretty flexible teacher, as long as the student is making progress I am open to feedback and suggestions from students and parents Lesson Structure My main areas of focus are on: developing the technical and physical skills to perform on the instrument reading and playing written music understanding basic music theory (the "grammar" and rules of music) developing important music-related listening skills, also known as "ear training" related music history, and other related factual information Additional areas of focus, usually for more advanced students, are: more advanced music theory chord-chart reading chord-based improvisation I generally start beginners off with an incrementing-level lesson book series, such as (but not limited to): Alfred Faber and Faber Bastien Such lesson book series consist of concurrent books, the core two being: Lesson book -- this deals with reading and playing music; material gradually becomes more challenging Theory book -- this is usually a workbook with written exercises related to the lesson book I also allow capable students to deviate from the lesson books and select some or all of their own material examples are: movie themes, popular songs, worship music, etc. many excellent compilations of music exist outside the tiered lesson book approach Recital I will have one or two recitals per year These will most likely happen in late Fall and early Spring Participation is voluntary but encouraged Your Responsibilities You must have and maintain an adequate piano or digital keyboard pianos will need professional tuning periodically, usually once every 6 - 12 months digital keyboards must have the following features to be adequate learning tools touch response (ability to play louder or softer depending on how hard you press each key) 76 notes or more (a real piano has 88 keys; some small keyboards have 61 keys or less) a place to plug in a "sustain pedal" or "damper pedal" Student needs to keep a dedicated spiral notebook for tracking assignments, etc. Books and music I often am able to obtain books and materials and bring them with me to the lesson you simply reimburse me Other times I may need you to obtain books and materials yourself there are a number of music stores which carry these materials internet shopping is a convenient way to purchase books and materials sometimes I ask for a student to visit the music store in order to personally browse and select something Suggested materials I suggest buying a metronome digital metronomes are more practical some students find wind-up, pendulum metronomes to be more interesting (albeit less practical) Student must practice! Tips on Practicing Beginning students should aim for something like 10 or 15 minutes each day More advanced students should consider practicing longer, perhaps 30 minutes daily or more Practicing small amounts daily is nearly always better than doing it all at once All practice is not the same! Work on the parts that are new, difficult, or challenging; effective practice requires brain power! Don't just play over the same parts you're comfortable with -- you'll just be spinning your wheels

---

Home  :  Biography  :  Repertoire  :  Listen  :  Calendar  :  Lessons  :  Contact  :  Links

---