Fort Wayne Music Lessons

ts have paid for them. They should have their own instrument to work with.

*** Specialties ***
I use the Alfred method for piano.

and New Jersey and has taught at the secondary level in both states. In addition to both instrumental and choral ensembles at Penn State, Thomas was a student leader in the Penn State Blue Band and a member of the brass section of the Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps in 1993 and 1994. He served as an Associate Director of the Warren Junior Military Band of Youngstown, Ohio from 1995 to 2005. He also served as a visual staff member for the renowned North Penn Marching Knights of Lansdale, PA for one season in 2004.

He is a current adjudicator with Drum Corps International and Cavalcade of Bands. He is a member of MENC, PMEA, NJMEA, ASCAP, CASA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the National Band Association. He appeared in the Marquis Who's Who Among American Educators in 2004 and 2005, an honor rarely bestowed upon teachers, as students who appear in the Who's Who Among American High School Students must nominate them. He currently is a music teacher at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts of the PA Leadership Charter School in West Chester, PA and resides in Downingtown, PA with his wife and two sons.

Thomas will happily work with students on the autism spectrum or students with ADD.

*** Lesson Details ***
My lessons are tailored to the needs and interests of each student. If a student is involved in school music ensembles, we will work with their lesson books from school in addition to material outside of the books, including SmartMusic, Noteflight, and teacher-created materials. We will focus on building proper tone production and individual technique - something that often is difficult to learn in a large ensemble setting.

I am capable of starting a beginner student on any band instrument including percussion, any classical string instrument (violin, viola, cello, string bass), and piano. I can begin a student on drum set and work with them through their first method book, but I would then recommend they find a specialized drum set teacher after a period of six to twelve months.

For advanced students, I work from selected conservatory etude books on developing advanced skills and can work with students on audition pieces for honors bands/orchestras or college auditions.

My lessons are a half-hour once a week, with the option of working for 45 minutes or 60 minutes.

*** Specialties ***
music, band, orchestra, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, violin, viola, cello, string bass, piano, Percussion
classical, jazz improvisation

coach for the Grammy Award Winning Pacific Boychoir. I also sang professionally for ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Clerestory, American Bach Soloists and San Francisco Pocket Opera.

I am currently a vocal instructor for Sweetwater Music Academy, music director for the Jesters (a theatre ensemble for people with developmental disabilities) and I sing for hospital patients as a Parkview Healing Artist. I have taught grade levels K-8 in private schools so I am accustomed to all age levels.

As a songwriter I have composed and performed music for MTV, VHI, E! and the Oxygen Network, and have acted on commercials for Southern Comfort, Old Spice, & Anthem Blue Cross.

I am also the songwriter and front man for the original regional RootsRock band, Fernando T. & The Wickersham Bros and have established myself as a teaching artist for young audiences through the Carnegie Hall Link Up Concert Series.

I look forward any questions you may have and hope to help you or your child find creative fulfillment from the most unique instrument in the world- your voice!

[PLEASE NOTE: I will be teaching exclusively online from June-December 2017 period and am happy to squeeze in as many in in location lessons you would like before then]

MMEA All-States Festival, the MMEA Northeast Senior District Festival, the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestra, and the CJMEA Elementary Honors Orchestra (in New Jersey via online lessons).

Darren studied privately with world-renowned double bass musicians including Lawrence Wolfe, assistant principal bass of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Robert Black, founding member of the New York City-based contemporary ensemble, Bang On A Can.

He writes articles and publishes his own insightful articles related to practicing the double bass.

as well as French from Beginner's through Advanced levels.

He is a graduate with a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in EDUCATION in the fields of Music, Spanish and German Literature, with a minor in Linguistics, French, and Italian Studies from UNSW (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia).

He is fluent (native speaker fluency) to teach Music in language immersion programs in these languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Tagalog, Cebuano (Visaya).

He also has advanced students with an Associate Degree (A Mus TCL) and B Mus candidates teaching at much lesser rates.

of all audiences to groove to and connect with on a deeper and instinctual level. 

           She has performed at major venues such as the Valley Performing Arts Center, where she conducted a full orchestra for the premiere of her orchestral piece “A Path Unfolds,” and sang with the CSUN Jazz A Band. She has also performed at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, the Colts Stadium in Indianapolis, the Alamodome, the Georgia Dome, the Hall of Liberty and at Los Angeles Community College where she premiered her latest piece “Emerge” with a jazz combo, which featured legendary drummer Gene Coye, and a six-piece horn section.

        Active as a collaborative artist, Sophia performs as a pianist with different ensembles professionally, including the Westlake Village Symphony Orchestra, and the New Valley Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 she was a featured soloist and won the Fred Sanford Gold Medal in Percussion with the world famous Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, and was a featured soloist in the Winter Drumline group POW Percussion. 

            While mastering her craft in classical music, jazz, film scoring and composing original music, Ms. Sophia is going to graduate from Cal State Northridge with a Bachelor’s of Music in Media Compostion this May 2018. She is a recognized student at Cal State Northridge and received the Igor Paltsev Memorial Composition Scholarship in 2015 for three of her original works entitled Forward Motion, Drifting, and Contemplation. Since then she has been studying with the phenomenal jazz pianists Matt Harris, and Gary Fukishima, and the renown Dr. Elizabeth Sellers, who is the head and founder of the Film and Commercial Writing department. 

            Sophia has been playing the piano since the age of three, and acquired her Grade 8 Certificate in Piano from the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) when she was 14.  Upon graduating high school, she was awarded the United States Marine Corps “Semper Fidelis” Award for Music Excellence, and under the instruction of acclaimed pianist Lou Touman, she auditioned and was accepted as a Piano Performance major at CSUN, at that time studying with the world renowned pianist and CSUN faculty member, Dr. Salas. 

            While currently working on composing for her ensemble which she is the pianist for, performing with several groups professionally, securing an internship, and teaching lessons, she says that being so involved with Music "is only possible because I am passionate about everything about Music, and I plan to be a part of Music and share this fondness with others for the rest of my life."

Please feel welcome to ask me questions and visit sophiatrevordotcom!

ut with another music instructor every chance we get. Music is a great relief and enjoyment that I want to share with as many people as I can. I am currently in college getting my Bachelors degree in History with a minor in Music.

hilharmonic's youth orchestra summer program in Idyllwild.

In 2013, he founded the Pacific Crest Music Festival which just celebrated it's 6th season in Northern California. This highly intensive, personalized, and celebrated summer chamber music festival has worked with students from all over the US, as well as Japan, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay. It has been Michael's mission to ensure that PCMF remain one of the few high level summer chamber music festivals that is available to all students. Each year, over $10,000 has been raised to allow students from lower income families the opportunity to experience such a high level musical education as PCMF offers. Outreach programs, private lessons with the outstanding faculty, public performances, and solo opportunities are all part of the PCMF experience.

Growing up in the Bay Area, his first studies were with his parents who were also active performers and teachers. He was awarded a full scholarship to attend the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Paul Hersh. He then completed his graduate studies at the University of Oklahoma in which he was a member of the university's graduate string quartet.

Along with his love for music, Michael is a passionate fly-fisherman, hiker, and sports fan.