Allendale, NJ Songwriting Lessons

dents to prepare for high school/college/conservatory admission, casting calls for TV/Film, major tour auditions, and industry showcases.
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I'm the vocalist, lead guitarist & songwriter for a well-known touring rock band with a worldwide fan base and nearly 4 million You Tube views. I graduated from New York University with Bachelor's of Music in Jazz guitar and trained with the most highly respected rock/pop vocal coaches in the world. In 2015, I signed a major label publishing deal with Fieldhouse Music/BMG played throughout Europe (and taught online lessons while away). My songs have been licensed for national/international TV (E!, MTV, VH1, Oxygen, TBS and more), commercials for CBS, Nike, Coca-Cola, Samsung and in video games. I actively perform/record and tour with my (3) bands, and produce/co-write with artists for their own projects.

I’m endorsed by PRS guitars, Elixir Strings, Godin Guitars/Bass Guitars, & Metaldozer Mic Stands.

Styles I regularly teach include: Rock (Classic Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock), Metal, Punk, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Blues, Funk, Soul, Classical, Folk.
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Lesson Details

My students gain expertise in the following techniques and more...

Voice:

∙ intonation / resonance
∙ proper breathing & breath support
∙ diction
∙ vocal placement
∙ understanding chest / head voice
∙ bridging registers & 'the high note'
∙ vowels and modification techniques
∙ mixed voice
∙ edgy/bright
∙ clean/distorted
∙ vibrato
∙ screaming
∙ rhythmic singing
∙ vocal health/maintaining your voice
∙ touring, recording, performing
∙ writing songs/melodies/lyrics to suit your vocal strengths
and personality

Lead / Rhythm Guitar:

I've developed a step-by-step approach to learning to solo and improvise.
Using simple, "guitarist-friendly” techniques you will quickly learn and begin to apply major/minor scales/modes, blues/pentatonic scales and “licks.” You will learn triads, arpeggios, interval studies, and extensions and how to use them to create interesting and melodic solos. With my line development/phrasing techniques, you will have your own library of “licks” that will help you navigate both simple and sophisticated harmonic progressions. I will help you to become a become a well-rounded, three-dimensional guitarist with a unique voice!

A few of techniques I teach:

∙ triads / arpeggios
∙ strumming
∙ alternate/sweep picking
∙ tremolo picking
∙ hybrid picking
∙ scales/modes
∙ slide guitar
∙ hammer on/pull off
∙ (up to 8 finger) tapping
∙ bending / double stops / unison bends
∙ whammy bar techniques
∙ diagonal scales,
∙ arpeggios & note groupings
∙ 3 and 4 finger per string scales
∙ fingerstyle
∙ Jazz scales, chords including
4 note open/closed voicing
7th, 9th, 11th, 13th chords
∙ chord melodies
∙ rhythm and grooves of various styles

Bass Guitar:

Right hand:
∙ finger style, pick
∙ slapping/popping
∙ groove, rhythms and playing time
∙ time signatures, walking bass lines,
∙ arpeggios, double stops,
∙ chords & improvising
∙ writing bass lines.

All of my students learn:

Sight reading (standard notation/tablature)
∙ music theory & ear training
∙ rhythm / timing (including reading rhythms)
∙ composition/songwriting

We will focus 1/2 of the lesson on repertoire and 1/2 the lesson on technique. Many of my students text/email me a few days prior to our scheduled lesson with a song selection for the week. I focus our lesson's technical study with the song in mind. It has proven to be very effective and makes the technique and theory are less "boring."

Studio Equipment
I have (7) guitars: including (4) electric, (2) acoustic/electric, & (3) electric bass
(2) tube guitar amplifiers, and various guitar effects pedals.

(1) full-size 88-key MIDI keyboard, and (1) Arturia MINILAB MIDI controller.

Also, I have an assortment of industry standard dynamic & condenser microphones for live performance and recording applications.

DAW recording software (Pro Tools 12.x, Logic 10.x, Ableton Live)
software synthesizers by Arturia, Fabfilter, Native Instruments, Spectrasonics, Steven Slate, Toontrack and more. I use plugin effects by Izotope, Fabfilter, Plugin Alliance and Universal Audio and Waves for many of my lessons and recording projects.

Travel Equipment
I can provide a guitar, videos, music recording, music workbooks and everything else a student may need. Students are only expected to bring a desire to learn. :)

Specialties

I am a performer with a ton of touring/stage experience, a composer who understands the art of writing and a producer who is fluent in the latest recording technology. In addition to technical studies, my students receive performance coaching/career development. I will help you to find your unique voice, a polished and distinct sound, and your true personality as an artist. I am 100% committed to making you a success!

I will ignite a new, or recharge/rekindle your passion for music, and to sing/play the music you love a lot better!

Manhattan school of music pre college division (where he has been a faculty member since 1994) and piano, theory and composition at the JCC on the Palisades Thurnauer school of music,where he also served as theory department chair from 1999 - 2005.
The newest addition to Dan's expending circle is The Red Bank Regional High School for the performing arts where he has a been a guest lecturer since fall of 2011.

Dan has been giving private lessons of music and music related subjects for over 20 years.

The system Dan developed over the years of teaching is based on two fundamental principles-
The paramount importance of developing sound traditional skills and the strong conviction that you should always tailor the method to the student and never tailor the student to the method.

Dan's eclectic background enables him to draw on a wide range of musical styles and techniques, fulfilling the needs of students from all walks of the musical experience. Lessons are available in the following areas for all ages and levels:

Piano - classical

Piano - contemporary / jazz / Broadway.

Piano - eclectic

Composition

Song writing, arranging and producing

Music theory, General theory, Jazz and popular music theory, a special AP music theory preparation workshop.

*** Lesson Details ***
I am a strong believer in combining traditional skills and sensibilities with a strong affinity to today's musical and pop culture, While I am an extremely patient teacher, I do expect (and achieve) results. If a student starts with me from scratch they should be able to play real piano tunes within 6 months.

*** Studio Equipment ***
living area piano seating for parents

*** Travel Equipment ***
The student needs to have a piano/keyboard

*** Specialties ***
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Broadway, composition, song writing, music for film, production, music history, theory, ear training, AP preparation.

poser, I've penned over 15 charts for Jazz Ensemble, in addition to several charts for Studio Orchestra, Jazz Combos, Chamber Groups, Vocal Groups, and Film, and I've won a few awards, including 1st Place in the International Zurich Jazz Orchestra Composition Competition, a 2011 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award, and a 2012 ASCAP Plus Award. I co-lead a jazz orchestra that has performed in several NYC clubs. My pieces have also been performed by her own chamber group "Community of the Spirit," Kurt Elling and the Metropole Orchestra the Zurich Jazz Orchestra, Todd Coolman's Quintet, the Eastman Jazz Ensemble and Studio Orchestra, Bernie Williams and the William Paterson Jazz Orchestra, Weapons of Jazz Destruction, and others.

I've also been inspired by many teachers along the way. I have a BM in Jazz Writing (Composition) with high distinction from the Eastman School of Music, and an MM in Jazz Arranging from William Paterson University. My composition and piano teachers have included Jim McNeely, Bill Dobbins, Rich DeRosa, Harold Danko, Raymond Torres-Santos, Tony Caramia, and Adrien Cohen, and I am a current member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop in NYC.

I'm a very passionate teacher and I'm excited to begin your musical journey!

*** Lesson Details ***
In addition to a customized lesson plan (dependent on your goals, strengths, weaknesses, and interests) you get introduced to a wide variety of styles and concepts. Some of the things you will do in your musical adventure with me include:

1) Learn classical pieces ranging from short Bach Minuets if you're a beginner, to Chopin Nocturnes and Bach Preludes and Fugues if you're advanced.
2) Learn the "why" behind music... Why does this sound quirky? Where does the musical statement end? What harmony is the composer using?
3) Write your own music. We might take a new concept you learned, and you may compose a song based on it. Or you may have your own ideas, and I'll help you take them to the next level.
4) Learn to improvise and learn how to play some jazz. You will play over blues and learn jazz standards. You will also learn how to play by ear.
5) Learn basic conducting.

*** Studio Equipment ***
home: fully-weighted keyboard, seating for parents, music stands, sheet music, printer (for printing custom handouts), free wi-fi
music studio : fully-weighted keyboard, seating for parents, music stands, sheet music, printer (for printing custom handouts), free wi-fi

*** Specialties ***
I teach classical and jazz, and usually like to incorporate both into lessons at some point, even if the student may have a greater interest in one of these (so you don't have the classical pianist that has never played one note not written in the music or doesn't know how to spell a simple major triad, and you don't have a jazz pianist whose reading skills is not up to par, and has no regard for tone/touch). Typically students not only read classical repertoire (Bach, Beethoven, Bartok, Kabelevsky, etc.) but also learn how to improvise over a blues, read a lead sheet, and figure music out by ear. I'm also comfortable with rock styles.

I also have a lot of experience accompanying (musical theatre, instrumental, vocal...) and I like teaching the student how to follow a soloist. I teach students how to read lead sheets so they can read whatever they may get from a vocalist, and I teach chord theory so that they can easier recognize patterns in music when playing with an instrumentalist or vocalist.

I incorporate composition and theory into lessons, usually in conjunction with whatever piece they are learning (explain what type of chords are in their piece, or explain how they move, or why something may sound discordant or may go somewhere expected, or I may teach them phrases in music just like sentences work in English.) I definitely, however, work with students who are more serious in composition as well and talk about how to develop their pieces, how to create ideas, how to get out of a "writers block," orchestration techniques, encourage them to expand their instrumentation, etc.

n Manhattan as well as a small mixing studio in my Brooklyn apartment, and I'm happy to show students the ins and outs of recording along with theory and guitar technique.

*** Lesson Details ***
Music is fun!!! I strive for all my students to enjoy themselves, to have a great time learning about the world of music.
I use a song-based approach to guitar playing. Armed with just a small vocabulary of chords, you can play hundreds of great songs. My students will determine the course of their lesson plan by selecting songs they want to learn. While maintaining proper technique and effective practice methods, we will learn the fundamentals of the guitar by playing the music that we love. After 6 months, you will know all the basic chords, and the fundamentals of playing a solo. As lessons progress, you also learn song structure and some basic harmonic theory so you can begin creating on your own.

*** Travel Equipment ***
The student is expected to provide his or her own guitar.

*** Specialties ***
Jazz, ear training, songwriting, theory

the best way. My rule number one is to be open minded and patient. Every student is different and has specific needs that can be addressed with the right technique.

I love to teach any level, from beginners to professionals.

Together we will work on:

- vocal technique to open your possibilities as a singer in a healthy way
- breathing and posture through yoga and relaxation exercises to free your voice and body
- musicianship: ear training, sight reading
- improvisation
- composition
- recording: record your own song
- repertoire (build your own repertoire, chart writing, arranging, transposing tunes)
- electronic device (loops, samplers)
- music toys
- audition preparation
- performance and stage preparation

I love to teach as much as I love to perform and I am always very inspired to meet new students and to help them develop their creativity with their own voice and sound.

ing to work with your nerves before a number and thinking about why the character is singing instead of saying the lyrics. I have been teaching since I was 16; from students ranging from 5 years old to 47 and have learned to adapt my curriculum to each student while making sure they develop a good repertoire and technique. For educational purposes I follow exercises and drills from a range of books including Vocal Strength and Power by Dena Murray, Speak with Distinction by Edith Skinner, Acting Songs by David Brunetti, and Voice and The Alexander Technique by Jane Ruby Heirich. I can perform basic accompanying parts and can also transpose music.

a sample of how my voice lessons are run is below. Each student with leave with a basic knowledge of solfage, a musical scale, and multiple genres of songs.
*** Voice Lesson Details ***
(Student expected to be prepared for lesson 10 minutes prior to lesson)

Forty Five Minute Lesson Breakdown   2:00 PM Greet and Go Through Packet
Benefit: Safe Space
2:03 PM Body Warm Up (Alexander Method)
Benefit: Loosen Muscles
2:08 PM Vocal Warm Up with piano
Benefit: Loosens Vocal Chords
2:15 PM Song Selection/Work Through Process
Benefit: Realizing Range and Character Bonds
2:45 PM Practice Notes, Review, End Session

Hour Lesson Breakdown  6:00 PM Greet and Go Through Packet
Benefit: Safe Space
6:05 PM Body Warm Up (Alexander Method)
Benefit: Loosens Muscles
6:20 PM Vocal Warm Up with piano
Benefit: Loosens Vocal Chords
6:30 PM Song Selection/Work Through Process
Benefit: Realizing Range and Character Bonds
7:00 PM Practice Notes, Review, End Session

Two Hour Lesson Breakdown 4:00 PM Greet and Go Through Packet
Benefit: Safe Space
4:10 PM Body Warm Up (Alexander Method)
Benefit: Loosens Muscels
4:35 PM Vocal Warm Up with piano
Benefit: Loosens Vocal Chords
4:55 PM Song Selection/Work Through Process
Benefit: Realizing Range and Character Bonds
6:00 PM Practice Notes, Review, End Session

*** Studio Equipment ***
Grand Piano
Mini Grand Piano
Mirror
Stands

*** Home Equipment ***
Yamaha Stage Piano with speakers
Mirror
Stands

*** Travel Equipment ***
Yamaha Electronic Keyboard
Music Stands

*** Specialties ***
Musical Theatre: Singing, Acting, and Dance.
Dance: Contemporary, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Ballet, and Modern

BACKGROUND CHECK AVAILABLE IN PDF UPON REQUEST

one-size-fits-all approach to music, and I encourage and guide my students to find what it is about their voice that makes them unique.

is on composition from Hampshire College. During my time at Hampshire, I studied jazz, contemporary, folk and avant-garde guitar styles as well as songwriting, electronic production and jazz and classical composition, all the while performing in local rock, metal and jazz bands. I have performed live in hundreds of concerts, have been featured on numerous records and have written and performed music that has received F.M. radio rotation.

I give traveling lessons across NYC, and can meet you at your home or other preferred location.