Piano with Fred K.

Hello Students/Parents, My name is Fred, I am a graduate of Northwest Vista College (AA Music Technology) and Schreiner University (BA Music). On piano I have studied with many fine pianists including Dr. Hsin Chan and Dr. Beth May of Northwest Vista college and Dr. Don Crandall, head of Schreiner University's music department. I have experience reading everything from pop charts to Bach. As such, I am comfortable helping students learn almost any style of music they are interested in. On drums I have studied with John Godoy, principal timpanist of the Corpus Christi Orchestra and Don Gilbert the principal timpanist of Kerrville’s Symphony of the Hills orchestra. Additionally, I have played in ensembles ranging from rock bands to orchestras. My primary area of expertise on drum set is rock style playing but I am also comfortable teaching the basics of jazz. On the music technology side of things I have experience with both recording and in the box production techniques, which is to say, making music with software on a computer. I got started with music production working on music of my own. Later I improved my skills by studying at Northwest Vista, acting as recording engineer for a small San Antonio music school, doing concert recordings for the Schreiner University concert band, and mixing albums for local bands. *** Lesson Details *** Lessons will vary depending on student goals and skill level. Beginner piano students will be introduced to reading music and fundamental piano techniques. We will study these topics by reading out of the Faber and Faber piano books. Which book we use will depend on the students age and skill level. Down the line students will eventually be introduced to scales and chords as well. If the student is interested we can also study basic music theory and chart reading at this point. Pop and jazz tunes are usually written out in chart form and knowing how to read them can be very helpful. I also give students the option of learning basic singing techniques. I feel that every serious musician should be able to sing at least a little and singing helps train the ears better than anything. The singing aspect in entirely optional though. In addition to the basic Faber and Faber books students will also be given stand alone pieces to perform once they are playing at a solid beginner level. Students studying drums will be introduced to the different parts of the kit and taught progressively more difficult beats and fills. Students will learn to read music as well as drum charts. Once the student has some experience playing and reading they will learn how to write drum charts of their own. This will allow them to learn any song they want to play. Students wanting to learn music production will need to contact me to discuss their specific goals and what equipment they have available. At that point we can put together individualized lesson plans that target the students specific goals. Broadly speaking, students will be learning how to use technology to create music of there own. My preferred digital audio workstations are Ableton Live and REAPER. I am also comfortable with Logic and Pro Tools if that is the student's preference. Lessons on Sibelius are also an option if the student to prefers to notate their music. *** Travel Equipment *** This would depend on the type of lesson and location of the lesson. *** Specialties *** On piano I focus mostly on classical piano technique and playing. However, if a student wants to learn fake book style playing or how to play with a band I am also comfortable helping them with that. On drum set I specialize mostly in rock style drumming. But with a decent book I would be comfortable teaching most drum set styles.