Matt B.

General Info

• Certified Music Teacher

  Certified Music Teacher

  Our rigorous hiring process requires a completed application; an interview with our professional recruiting specialists; personal and professional reference checks; and annual criminal background checks for the duration of each teacher's employment with us.

  
• Background Check Complete

  Criminal Background Check

  In order to ensure the safety of our students, all teachers undergo a thorough criminal background check, which includes: Social Security number trace, multi-state criminal search and a nationwide sex offender registry search.

  
• Levels: Beginner to Advanced

• In-Home Lessons: No
• In-Studio Lessons: Yes
• Ages: 5 & up

Subjects Taught

Piano, Singing, Music Performance, Music Recording, Music Theory, Opera Voice, Songwriting, Speaking Voice

Education

Texas Christian University - Piano: Artist's Diploma - 2005-2007

Specialties

I specialize in training memory, technique, artistic sensitivity and the development of a musical mind. I am familiar with many methods and use them where appropriate. I will observe you (the student) and find out how you learn best, and tailor lessons accordingly, thereby using your preferred method of learning (aural, visual, or kinesthetic) to strengthen any weaknesses. Lessons with me are very fun and challenging.

Lesson Details

With regards to lessons, I will become what the student needs. I am well versed in classical and jazz piano, songwriting, composition and arranging, diction training, and the classical vocal repertoire. Lessons with me are fun and challenging; never a stagnant moment!

Students will have some optional performance opportunities that they can take advantage of, when they feel ready. I will also host recitals on occasion, usually over winter or spring breaks.

For younger students, I prefer ... parental involvement in the lessons. The parent of a student will have more influence on their progress on a weekly basis than I can. They will be asked not only to help the student practice, but to help them practice correctly. The results of this approach can be profound. For these reasons, I ask that the parents follow the student's progress so that they can provide support for the 6 days of the week that I do not get to see the student.

I tailor my curriculum to the student, and their learning habits and interests. I draw from a wide variety of curriculum, as well as sometimes writing original pieces that focus on weak areas that must be quickly developed.

Lastly, the student's input will ALWAYS be heard and carefully considered when choosing pieces for study. The most important part of studying music is the joy of music itself. I do my very best to make sure that lessons and practice are both fun and engaging, as well as productive.

Important Note: Right now I am only teaching classical music for voice. That doesn't mean that I am not willing to supplement lessons with other styles, but classical vocal training and technique is universally applicable and should be the pop or rock vocalist's foundation regardless. Please only sign up for voice with me if you are prepared to study primarily classical repertoire. Broadway songs are also acceptable.

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About

I love learning, and I love sharing how to learn. I began as a self-taught pianist at age 12, and from ages 14 to the present I have had the experience of studying with some of the most phenomenal teachers of this generation. George Katz, former chair of the Drake University Piano Department and student of the legendary artists Alfred Cortot and Marguerite Long; Jerome Lowenthal, also a student of Cortot (and William Kapell) and former chair of the Julliard piano department, and Jose ... Feghali, winner of the 1985 Cliburn Gold Medal have been my most influential teachers. From them, I learned how to learn, how to teach, and how to teach learning, which I believe is the most important skill.

As a winner of the 2000 Interlochen Concerto Competition, I had my orchestral debut that year with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at 16. Following that, I have given concerts all over the U.S., some parts of Mexico, Malmo and Stockholm, Sweden, and in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Having become keenly interested in technology and recording engineering, I have produced many CD's for renowned artists, such as Joseph Banowetz, Jose Feghali, Mike Morey, Paul Tuntland Sanchez and Vladimir Ashkenazy. I also worked for two years as the recording engineer for the Fort Worth symphony, where I was exposed to dozens of symphonic scores and new works, and was able to study them while I was preparing the recordings for radio broadcast.

My interests expanded even further when I became interested in the study of memory. I felt that I was still a slower learner, and wanted to counteract this. Having taken up research into the functions of memory and retention, I became a student who, instead of spending 6 months perfecting a Haydn or Beethoven sonata, could learn a monster like the Ravel Trio and perform it in just over a week. It's these methods that I offer to my students, in full confidence that any one of them who applies themselves can, in time, equal and surpass my own efforts.

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