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Active - Public

Music Theory

Stephen is a graduate from the renown Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA in Piano Performance and Film Scoring. Other interests include Photography, and elementary school Astronomy.

Discovering a love for music and Film Music at the age of 10, Stephen’s journey began in a suburban town West of Boston with private Classical, Popular, Jazz, Film Score tutoring. Stephen studied under esteemed professor Bob Winter who was the pianist for the Boston Pops. 

He has worked at Piano Playtime where he taught twelve Kindergarten to 4th grade group piano lessons, and with kids with disabilities. He is easy to get along with and very patient with kids and adults. He has been teaching on TakeLessons since 2012, online, in-person, and at students homes. What you will find in Stephen's lessons, he creates short mp4 videos of the lesson and e-mails them to the students or parents.

While piano is his primary focus, he is also an experienced composer and an avid film soundtrack collector. Styles of music taught are: Classical, Broadway, Film Scores, Rock, Pop, and Jazz.

Subjects taught are: Piano, Music Theory, Composition, Film Scoring, Ear Training, photography, and elementary school Astronomy. 

Stephen scored two local films, a horror film “Eamon’s Road” and one titled "The Times Were Never So Bad: The Life of Andre Dubus" who's son Andre Dubus III wrote the story "The House of Sand and Fog." In 2003 the novel was adapted into a film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. The film won first place at the Providence Film Fest. He also composed two piano songs for the online college Capella University, and is currently collaborating with a songwriter composing for a rock song.

Lessons include:
1. Setting up goals
2. Piano technique
3. Music theory related to the repertoire
4. Reading strategies – to learn new piece faster
5. Performance – how to express yourself through music
6. Study schemes – how to practice efficiently and productively
7. Working schedules, study guides, to do lists: guide your practice
8. Alternative materials: lesson recording, worksheets, videos, playlists and books.

He has sold his photos at galleries and at the Annual Mass College of Art auction. If not playing or teaching piano, you will find him taking photos or hiking a mountain in N.H.

He teaches near Newton, Brighton, Brookline, Wellesley, Natick, Needham, Dedham, Dover, Westwood, Waltham, Bedford, Boston, Route 128, area, and online.

You can expect creative, interesting, and fun lessons. Looking forward to hear you play!

RESUME

CAREER SUMMARY

A challenging career in the field of music and art of piano pedagogy that will help students achieve their desired goals based on each individual needs. Demonstrate a strong commitment to help children and adults to learn cognitive and mathematical skills through music theory and piano. 

EXPERIENCE

2012 – Present   Private Piano Instructor 
Traveling Music Lessons, At Your Door Music, TakeLessons.com   

•  Teach basic piano skills to children and adults in person and online
•  Create finger, chord, video exercises, and online research to help achieve students clear understanding 
    of weekly lessons
•  Commit students to stay on task, focus, and communicate with parents on their progress

2017 – 2018   Piano Playtime   Glover School
•  Instruct twelve children Kindergarten through 4th grade basic piano lessons, rhythms, and musical    
    activities and help them with problem-solving musical skills

Composer  
Composed music for two Capella University online commercials that aired worldwide
	
Documentary Film Composer  
“The Times Were Never So Bad: The Life of Andre Dubus” 
Won first place at the Providence Documentary Film Festival and shown at various film festivals in the United States. 
		
Film Composer  
Composed music for Independent horror film "Eamon's Road"
Premiered at The Regent Theatre

AFFILIATIONS

ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers)

EDUCATION	
	       
           Bachelor of Music in Film Scoring and Piano
           Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA

References Available Upon Request

Have you ever wonder how the music works in a film and how it is used effectively in a movie? This class will discuss how film music started, what methods are used to score a film, the psychology of the instruments matching the visuals in the film. We will discuss composers Max Steiner, the Father of Film Music. (King Kong, 1933, Gone With the Wind, 1939) and others. We will also watch movie clips and listen to the music.

Please join through TEAMS or Zoom app on phone or computer.

History of Film Music and the Composers

I started practicing piano during covid and stumbled upon this website. After taking my first group live class with Stephen, I was hooked. He made learning different piano songs easy, and as I got better and started to take his music theory classes paired with his daily group live piano classes, I found myself being able to read notes and it made learning more advanced songs easier to grasp.

I have been taking lessons with Stephen for over 6 months now and can't believe how good I am getting with the piano. I look forward to his classes as they are not only educational, but fun. And, when there are time I find myself struggling with a piece of concept, Stephen finds a way to teach it so that I am understand and grasp it better. 

This platform is lucky to have such a skilled pianist like Stephen, and I am so lucky I get learn from ana amazing teacher who not only skilled, but patient and makes learning the piano easier than other tutors I have studied with. I highly recommend Stephen not just for his piano and music theory classes and tutoring services, but also for his STEM classes, too. He is very knowledgeable in all that he teaches.

This is the best instructor ever. This instructor's prominent work ascends me beyond realities as he is patient calm and rewarding when you complete homework he sent, complete a song, etc.

This instructor is loving and funny he lightens up the mood and encourages you with his soul raising the mood as high as the sun. 

I love this instructor, thank you so much for teaching me.

Stephen's a great instructor both from a technical and personable perspective. 

He's got a cornucopia of musical knowledge that's evident from how speaks to how he teaches. If you like any film score, chances are he knows how to play it. 

Speaking as a beginner, I can say he's been very patient and knows a bunch of exercises and books to learn everything thing from theory to practical pieces to finger exercises.

He provides constructive guidance on what you're doing wrong, and I'm happy to see myself improve under his tutorage. (oh and if you're a sci-fi fan, you'll have a lot in common with him)

Steve is an excellent teacher! I always look forward to my classes. I am a student in high school, and he fully understands my need to balance my school work with piano, and he makes sure that I am able to comfortably commit to both aspects of my life. Steve makes sure that I stay on task and that I am progressing with my piano skills all while making the lessons fun and enjoyable.

Great lessons...Stephen is a wonderful teacher. Very kind and musical.

Stephen was informative, patient, and very punctual. He made the effort to explain things thoroughly and gave me leeway to work on my skills at my own pace.

Dozen a Day is a piano exercise book that has been used for many years by teaching professionals. It helps the student get use the notes on the piano. The Mini Pink Book will help you easily coordinate both hands together with simple exercises.  Requirements are knowing the names of the notes that are placed on the piano staff.

Piano

Piano Lessons: Group 1: Dozen a Day Mini Pink Book

In this video, piano instructor Stephen B. will show you how to sit and hold your arms and wrist while playing the piano. This is one of many videos of many upcoming lessons that the instructor will be posting in the future.

Piano Lessons: Part 1: Posture / Basic Technique

This is a beginner to intermediate version of the famous Nursery Rhyme "This Old Man". Go slow at first, use metronome, watch the fingerings, stop and repeat video if needed. In 4/4 time for RH and LH. (right hand and left hand)

This Old Man

This is a beginner to intermediate piano version of Chopsticks (leaning intermediate) It is performed slowly. The viewer will have to repeat the video to bring it up to speed when they feel ready to do so. Hope you enjoy!

Chopsticks

Hi, this video demonstrates one octave arpeggios on the piano white notes. Arpeggios are good finger exercises and are often used in Classical, Pop, Jazz music. More often in Classical. They are broken chords. A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. It may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. 

The word arpeggio comes from the Italian word arpeggiare, which means to play on a harp. Even though the notes of an arpeggio are not played or sung all together at the same time, listeners hear the sequence of notes as forming a chord. 


White Note Major Arpeggios (One Octave)

This is a version of the song "Somewhere over the Rainbow" from the film "The Wizard of Oz"
Lead sheet with Right Hand Melody and Chord Progressions

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

This is an intermediate version of London Bridge is Falling Down with both the Right and Left Hand

London Bridge is Falling Down

This is an easy version of the song London Bridge is Falling Down with the Right and Left hand.

This is the instructor's easy version of the famous children's song "Frere Jacques" or "Are You Sleeping, Brother John"

Frere Jacques

This is a basic tutorial on how to play the B Harmonic Minor scale on the Piano. Starting with the right hand, the left hand, and then both hands together. 

B Harmonic Minor Piano Scale

This is a basic tutorial on how to play the B Melodic Minor scale on the Piano. Starting with the right hand, the left hand, and then both hands together. 

B Melodic Minor Piano Scale

This is a basic tutorial on how to play the B Natural Minor scale on the Piano. Starting with the right hand, the left hand, and then both hands together. 

History of Film Music and the Composers - Music Theory Class

Class reviews

Stephen's Music Theory videos

Piano Lessons: Group 1: Dozen a Day Mini Pink Book

Piano Lessons: Part 1: Posture / Basic Technique

This Old Man

Chopsticks

White Note Major Arpeggios (One Octave)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

London Bridge is Falling Down

London Bridge is Falling Down

Frere Jacques

B Harmonic Minor Piano Scale

B Melodic Minor Piano Scale

B Natural Minor Piano Scale

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