Cromwell, CT Music Recording Lessons

folk, punk, and experimental music. In my free time I like to circuit bend.

*** Lesson Details ***
When you take lessons from me expect to be inspired and pushed. I thoroughly love teaching music and want the best for my students. I try my best to involve and invite students to join or listen to live music ensembles, recitals, and performances of different genres. I teach all styles of music for voice, piano, and guitar. I am very diligent with practicing, teaching you how to practice, and keeping track of it. In 3 or 6 months you will have a basic understanding of music theory and a solid foundation of piano, voice, or guitar techniques. I thrive to boost self esteem and confidence in all the students that I teach. I also teach composition, students really enjoy writing their own songs and performing them.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I can provide a guitar. I expect students that want voice or piano lessons to have some kind of keyboard in working condition.

*** Specialties ***

As a member of of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) I am able to give your students great resources and opportunities to enter competitions.

I am also a member of New York State Music Teachers Association.

I am also a Pro Tools certified user.

projects. Her song, "The Power of Faith," that she wrote for the Ever Increasing Faith broadcast can be heard all over the world daily on both television and radio. Because of her meticulous instruction, many of her students have gone on to obtain professional careers in the entertainment and music industry. Keisha Renee is currently a The Voice 2017 Team Blake competitor and has been back up singer and opener for the amazing R & B singer, JoJo. Keisha has also sang backups on the P Diddy 2016 Bad Boy reunion tour, she's also a member of Team Minaj as Nicki Minaj's main back up singer as well as numberous others. Julia Michaels, is currently one of America's leading songwriter/vocalist having sold 50 million copies of her songs worldwide and her newest single "Issues" has topped the Billboard chart. Julia was also the first American to ever sing for the closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics. Amber Riley, another of her students, was a main cast member playing "Mercedes" on the 10 year Award winning TV show, "Glee" and is currently playing the lead role of "Effie" on the Broadway musical, "Dream Girls".

As a teacher, I get immense satisfaction from seeing my students excel and fly using the techniques and tools that I have taught them," Cyndi says beaming with pride. "My students have done tremendous things in the industry and it is my pleasure to continue to pass down the nuggets of wisdom and skill that I've obtained from over 30 years in the entertainment business."

Cyndi's training began at age 8 where she studied classical piano for 6 years. By age 15, she and her brother released their first independent single which did reasonably well locally. By age 19, while studying music at Ohio University, she along with her brother won "Right On" magazine's nationwide talent search and were offered two major recording contracts. She decided to sign with Philadelphia International Records under the auspices of Grammy Award winning producer, Thom Bell (who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). She studied under Thom Bell and it was there that she learned the art of record production. She also studied vocal production under legendary Grammy Award winning producer, Hal Davis (Jackson five fame). Cyndi was taught proper vocal technique by vocal trainer to the stars, Seth Riggs and continued her private studies learning the vocal techniques of the great Alan Linquist. Her teaching style has subsequently morphed into a combination of all these great inspirational instructors.

As a teacher, Cyndi is kind, patient and extremely enthusiastic when it comes to instructing her students. Her students always see her as their friend and one who they know will bring out the best in them and desires that they grow to their fullest potential.

*** Lesson Details ***
When you come to Cyndi for voice lessons, you can rest assured that your vocals will never be the same. She is as comfortable teaching the beginner as she is instructing the seasoned professional who wants to hone their skills even further. She can always bring something out of you that you didn't know was there. Maybe it's the confidence that she exudes when she instructs, maybe it's her innate ability to know what's needed at any given time to make the student better. But whatever it is, you can rest assured that your lesson will be fun, thorough, and the lesson plan that she devises will cause you to arrive at the musical goals that you've set for yourself. She can help you or your child prepare for upcoming auditions, as well as any other scheduled performance. Cyndi will create a lesson plan that will certainly be tailor-made for your style and needs.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Piano

*** Travel Equipment ***
I can bring my Cd player to play tracks etc....the student should have a recording device to record the lesson, whatever performance tracks we'd be working from, and a keyboard would be helpful but not necessary.

*** Specialties ***
My style of vocal training concentrates on singing in the 'Ng" position and using cuperto as the primary way to produce more tone with less effort. I also train my students to breath properly utilizing the lower lumbar area along with breathing from their diaphragm. I generally train vocal students in all genres of music and I stress stage presence in conjunction with proper vocal technique.

ave been teaching and performing for over a decade both in the US, and in England. I have played in various bands and have produced independent artists. I have worked for a recording studio and for various academic institutions including the Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School in New York city.

I obtained my degree from Purchase College in New York and am a member of their Conservatory of Music.

*** Lesson Details ***
I construct lessons for each individual student depending on their musical tastes, goals, and current skill level etc. I want each person to get as much from their time studying with me as possible. Within three to six months, I'll have you working on timing, theory, ear training, improv, and songs/styles of music you may be interested in. I'm laid back, however, I expect at least the minimum practice time between lessons, which I'll change throughout the course of our time together depending on your skill level etc. Practice materials I draw up are included. I write out everything in plain English and do not require the use of sheet music!

*** Studio Equipment ***
Small recording studio, piano, various guitars, bass, and amps.

*** Travel Equipment ***
guitar, bass, laptop, digital recorder.

*** Specialties ***
I concentrate on ear training, improvisation, and explore styles ranging from pop, alternative, rock, prog, and blues, to metal, funk, and folk etc. I do not require sight reading skills for any level of student. Rather, I work with the student with theory and arrangement conventions to really understand the music. This intern, greatly sharpens their musical ear and helps them to learn music much faster because they understand how it is put together; why and how it works, etc.

***Teaching Special Needs***
I have experience teaching students who have been visually impaired,
blind, hearing impaired, or who have had mild learning disabilities. I
am also comfortable with a student bringing their service dog or
therapy dog to our lessons if they wish.

. Jeff prides himself on customizing every student's lessons based on their particular preferences, goals and skill level. "It's a very personalized kind of instruction, as I never take a cookie-cutter
approach to teaching…".
Jeff's 3 promises to all students is to give them personalized lessons, be attentive to their needs and goals. and to make them feel like every lesson is worth their investment of time and money. As long as students practice regularly, they can expect to dramatically increase their clarity of playing, their chord "inventory", their musical ear and awareness and play the songs they've always wanted to learn.

After honing his craft as a songwriter and performer, Jeff created and taught music classes at colleges, universities, and music schools throughout the country for many years, including UCLA Extension, Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College and The Harrison School Of Music. Jeff is currently teaching ukulele classes and songwriting classes at Tacoma Community College and Pierce College, both in Washington state.

When asked to summarize his views on teaching and music: "Teaching and playing music always puts a smile on my face; especially when I see that the student is having fun, learning what they want to learn and feeling the passion about music that motivated me to pursue my own musical career".

As a working singer/songwriter/guitarist, Jeff is known for his memorable melodies, intelligently crafted lyrics and heartfelt vocals. His compositions have earned him over 50 awards from various national and international songwriting contests and he's a former staff songwriter for the long-standing New York City-based publisher, Bourne Music. He has also won best music video awards at 3 international film festivals.

Some of the artists that Jeff has been compared to as a guitarist and vocalist include Keb' Mo', James Taylor, Kenny Loggins, Ry Cooder, John Mayer, Bill Withers, Jim Croce, and Don Henley.

Jeff is a NJ native, but lived and performed in Los Angeles for many years, where he worked in the studio or shared the stage with well-known artists such as Dave Koz, Norman Brown, John Daversa, Hiroshima, Little Richard and N'Dea Davenport.

Jeff catalog of over 450 songs and compositions spans virtually every genre, but many of his tunes are amalgams of pop, blues, jazz, R&B, country and rock. Quite a number of Jeff's songs
have appeared in film and TV. One that Jeff is particularly proud of, is the dynamic pop ballad, "Journey Of The Heart" (co-written by Jeanne Smith), which was licensed by the N.C.A.A. (National
Collegiate Athletic Association), who deemed it "the official anthem" of their NCAA Hall Of Champions facility in Indianapolis.

Jeff has commercially released 4 CD's of his original material: The most recent of these is his 2013 release, "Blujanova" (a merging of blues, jazz and bossa nova), which was praised by platinum selling and Grammy-nominated jazz star, Dave Koz: "Jeff's voice is so clean and pure...the production is lovely...warm and inviting...I love the interesting and surprising takes on some classics too, especially 'I Feel Good'…that brought a smile to my face!".
The other CD's stretch into other genres. "Truthteller" (bluesy pop/rock and singer/songwriter material) "Me, Myself, and I" (acoustic) and "The Spin" (pop, rock, and country-tinged singer/songwriter material). All of Jeff's albums are on his label, Relevant Records. The late great John Braheny, author of the best-selling "The Craft And Business Of Songwriting (Writer's Digest Books), gave high praise to Jeff's CD, "The Spin", calling it "honest, crafty, melodic and the songs are all exceptional". Patch called Jeff "a consummate songwriter".

*** Lesson Details ***
At the first lesson, I will ask you to tell me what songs you want to play and artists you want to play like and I will set the table for that by providing the chords you'll need, chord and scales and exercises to enable you to play them and guidelines and tricks on how to make it happen as quickly as possible. I know a wide variety of songs in all styles and styles, including current hit songs as well as pop, rock, blues, jazz, country songs. if you have a song or artist that I don't know already, I will learn it (often on the spot) and if not right then, at the next lesson. I have taught my students to play songs by artists as varied as Taylor Swift, U2, Jason Mraz, Adele, Eric Clapton, Django Reinhardt, Doc Watson. And that's just naming a few.

I always make it clear to my students at the first lesson: "There is no such thing as a stupid question". I want you to feel comfortable to stop me at any time to clarify what I am teaching you, ESPECIALLY if it is too difficult or vague. I pride myself on always being organized for your lesson and making sure that you grasp whatever it is I am teaching you. The goal is to get you to be able to play what you want as quickly as possible. This will take practice and dedication on your part, but I will do everything in my power to help you get there.

I never force anything on any of my students. but I feel it would be beneficial for you to learn to read music OR read tablature and chord diagrams. You tell me which one and we'll go in that direction. If you'd like to read music, then we can decide on a book for you. I have used Hal Leonard instructional books (with CD's! this way you can play with a backing track and get a sense of rhythm, which is very important), but I'm open to other method books you might have or like.

After 3 to 6 months, you will feel you are significantly more skilled on the guitar than you were before we started lessons. You will know more chords (and move from chord to chord), be able to do at least some basic fingerpicking and be able to read some music or tablature.

*** Specialties ***
Acoustic fingerstyle guitar (a la James Taylor, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Keb' Mo', Jason Mraz, John Martyn, Jim Croce, etc.

Blues guitar a la Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Keb' Mo', Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, etc.

Bossa nova guitar

Songwriting (any aspect and any level; musically, lyrically, structurally, etc.)

the songs of Taylor Swift---quite a few of my younger students want to play her material, so I have about 15 songs ready to teach you and always learning more (by popular demand)

Adapting songs that are keyboard-based and creating arrangements of them for acoustic guitar. Examples include songs by Adele, songs by Elton John, Irina Menzel's huge hit song from "Frozen", John Legend's "All Of Me", Coldplay's "Viva La Vida", etc.

Recording on Garageband.
I became so skilled with Garageband that I was asked to give seminars at Apple Store locations, showcasing my recordings and how to use the program.

Voice-overs; performance, recording, etc.

sson Details ***
For piano and voice, I incorporate basic music theory methods but I also focus on ear training as well. My ultimate goal when teaching is for the student to have a visceral experience while playing or singing.

For audio engineering, I go over audio recording techniques and the tools & equipment needed to produce a professional sounding song.

I enjoy imparting my knowledge of music to others and I demonstrate that enthusiasm in my teaching style. I love relating what I'm teaching a student to his/her learning style. Figuring out how someone learns is a key component to my method and I'm a better instructor because of it.

*** Studio Equipment ***
lives in a brownstone three story home with recording studio f/w 88 keys seating for parents

*** Travel Equipment ***
Piano, a keyboard with 88 keys and sustain pedal.

*** Specialties ***
Classical, music theory and ear training

Love This Bar" at Harrah's Resort, and one of the three stages at the amazing Fremont Street Experience.

*** Lesson Details ***
Music Theory (Building Scales, Harmonizing Scales into Chords)
Ear Training
Single String Concepts (Scales, Arpeggios, Intervals)
Rhythm Concepts (Chords, Blending with a Band)
Learning Songs
Writing Licks, Lines, Chord Progressions, Charts, and Songs
Techniques (Pick vs. Fingers vs. Hybrid Picking)
Acoustic vs. Electric vs. Nylon String
Slide and Steel Guitar
Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, and Other Doubling Instruments
Playing in a Stylistically Appropriate Manner
Choosing the Right Equipment for the Gig or Project
Music Reading
How to Practice
How to Market Yourself to Acquire Work

*** Studio Equipment ***
various electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, ukulele, banjo. A few different amplifiers, and many different pieces of effect and accessory equipment.

*** Travel Equipment ***
various electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, ukulele, banjo.

*** Specialties ***
All Contemporary Styles (Rock, Blues, Country and Country Rock, Mo-Town, Jazz, Latin, Latin Jazz, Fusion, Metal and Tapping Style, Theater)

d in your studies.

My main focus is to make sure my students continue to reach and surpass their musical goals. Hopefully I can't help you to do the same!

*** Lesson Details ***
Each lesson is custom tailored to your individual needs! I want teach you valuable music techniques through songs that you want to learn and play!

*** Studio Equipment ***
I have practice amplifiers and several guitars to chose from should you not have your own quite yet!

*** Travel Equipment ***
I have an acoustic and or electric guitar/electric bass I travel with as well as a portable amplifier.

*** Specialties ***
I have a talent for music direction in a band setting so I also can help coach bands to achieve their full potential!