Hello, my name is Brian and I am currently studying my Bachelor's in Music Education at VanderCook College of Music. It is the only college in the world that specializes in specifically Music Education, and has been since 1909. The school teaches us a basic understanding of 17 instruments and voice, while also teaching theory, aural skills, music history, professional ed courses, and includes a large number of various ensembles. Because of this, I'm able to teach some basic concepts on all of the band/orchestra instruments. Personally, I started taking piano lessons in 2000 and started drum set lessons in 2002. I've always had a dual musician life after that point, and was apart of the band and jazz band programs from 5th grade until now (sophomore in college). While attending Marist High School, I taught myself guitar, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica, and tin whistle. I expanded my concepts of music and genres, and find myself very knowledgeable of classical, jazz, rock, blues, and...

I'm a extremely versatile guitarist that plays a range of styles from blues, classical, jazz, metal, country, bluegrass, and rock. Growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago, I was exposed to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters at a young age and frequently practiced air guitar, especially after hearing Metallica on MTV as a teenager. At the age of 14, I had discovered my favorite thing to do and found others to play music with. After playing in high school groups, writing, recording, and personal study, I attended Columbia College Chicago for my bachelor of arts with a focus on learning the language of jazz. I graduated in 2007, and began a career that has let me make music my life.

My recent projects include my jazz fusion group, General Zod, which has twice performed the entire Mahavishnu Orchestra 1971 album, the Inner Mounting Flame. The first concert was performed at Reggie’s Music Joint and a live album/DVD was created to document the event. Videos of the...

My passion is teaching! I could search my whole life, and never find anything I enjoy doing more. You could call it my "calling," for lack of a better term. That's probably why I've been so successful in my career. I've taught students as young as 4 years old, and students who are in retirement.
The success I've had, comes with years of taking private lessons, performing, studying, and always keeping an open mind to new ideas, and relating my experience with all my students.

I am a highly organized, outcome-driven and motivated professional musician and educator with solid experience in the classroom. For the past 25years, I have been employed with Amati music academy and six years on the faculty of University of St Francis.
I am very comfortable with all aspects of the current music syllabus, including teaching musical concepts (such as duration, pitch, dynamics, tone color, texture and structure) as well as performance, composition. I am fully qualified, with a Bachelor of Education in Music, Double Masters in music performance and education from University of Nottingham.
I am proficient in classical, jazz and Celtic fiddle violin and possess solid skills in piano (grade 8-13) Royal conservatory system.
Throughout my teaching career, I have been driven to help students achieve their very best. I strongly believe that music has the power to change lives – to enhance the social, cultural and spiritual lives of people, and serve as a profound...