North Bergen, NJ Music Theory Lessons

want to practice and attend lessons. The rapport between student and teacher is tantamount.

I want my students to develop a love of music that will last a lifetime.

Proper technique is stressed regardless of experience level or age.

I hold annual Student Piano Recitals at the end of the school year.

NYSSMA preparation offered for all levels. My students average score is "outstanding".

*** Studio Equipment
Piano, keyboard; den dedicated to music. Extensive musical library.

*** Specialties ***
Students with special needs
Lessons for young beginners

raduate and graduate studies at Manhattan School of Music, learning from the likes of John Riley, David Liebman, Samir Chatterjee & Michael Abene.
Paul has since been able to make a name for himself among the local and international music industry as an accomplished drummer and forward-thinking composer. He has performed at several international festivals (North Sea Jazz Festival) and at some of the world's most prestigious jazz clubs in the US and overseas. Paul has appeared alongside such emerging stars as David Binney, Linda Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, Will Vinson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Lage Lund, Mike Moreno and Tim Collins.

*** Lesson Details ***
Whether my students are young or old, taking lessons as a hobby or wish to pursue a career in music, I tailor my lessons to meet each individual student’s needs and expectations.
I have a lot of fun teaching and I want you or your child to have fun during our lessons.
My students learn music in the most natural and intuitive way possible. I try to build on what the student already likes, listens to and has a passion for. I encourage students to bring their favorite songs and we usually end up working with those. I also like using songs by The Beatles as they provide a perfect (fun and familiar) platform to learn many different aspects of drumming and musical performance.
In addition to being a drummer and percussionist, I have a strong background in music theory and I want to make sure my students not only know how to play their instrument, but also become familiar with reading and writing music.
After a few months in the studio, you or your child can expect to have a better understanding of music and have acquired the basic tools and techniques which will allow you to play your favorite pieces of music.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Drumset, Cymbals, Practice Pads, Audio Equipment for Play-Along, Electric Piano

*** Travel Equipment ***
Practice Pad, Cymbals, Laptop, Recordings, Headphones and necessary cables, sheet music, .... .

*** Specialties ***
All styles of drumming

he played toy harmonica. Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Iridium, Bluenote, Birdland, U.N., IAJE, Cape Cod Jazz Festival, NJPAC, Sweet Rhythm, Smalls, Zinc Bar, Smoke Jazz Club, internationally: Japan, Spain, Russia, Brasil, St. Kitts, Canada, France, Bermuda, Sweden, Israel

-Toured/recorded and/or worked as sideman with Jimmy McGriff, Teddy Charles, Sonny Dallas, Victor Jones and Cultur-versy, Vince Giordano & The Night Hawks, Frank Vignola/Joe Ascione, Miles Griffith, David Pleasant, Jim Nolet (former violinist for the Jazz Passengers), Anastasia Rene, Jon Weber, Mona's Hot Four, Gordon Au's Grand Street Stompers, Michael Arenella's Dreamland Orchestra, with Jesse Gelber, Raphael McGregor, Emily Asher's Garden Party, and many other groups.

-Appears in Sam Mendes Film "Away We Go"

-Movie Soundtrack: King George.

-Guitar/banjo: "Jew Grows in Brooklyn," "Take Me Along," "The Big Apple Circus" + others.

-Banjo/Guitar Chair: "New Girl In Town" (Irish Rep Theatre)

-Author: Metallica Legendary Licks series,volume 1 & 2)
-Editor GRP chords (both Cherry Lane Music/Hal Leonard).

M.A. from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College
(partial scholarship)

B.S. from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook, graduated magna cum laude. Dean's list all semesters

-Published interview (book): A New Face of Jazz (Cicily Janus)

-Playing guitar/banjo on first episode of new PBS cartoon "Peg and Cat"

- Current adjunct professor at Essex College

-Guest lecturing professor at Manhattanville College

-Substitute adjunct professor at Queens College

-Winning participant: I.A.J.E. with Miles Griffith's New Ting 2007. Performance and educational certificate granted.

-Winning participant; part-scholarship award: 2004 International Jazz Workshop at BANFF Centre, Canada (dir, Dave Douglas)

-Winning participant; full-scholarship award of the 2001 JAS academy in Aspen Colorado (dir, Christian McBride (Down Beat Dec. 2001)

-Studying Bol (Indian rhythmic system) with tabla player, Pandit Samir Chatterjee 2006-2007; 2013-current

-Studied with Pat Martino, Billy Bauer, Ben Monder, Tony Purrone, Pete Bernstein, Dr. Stephen Salerno, Dr. David Belser

-Studying African Rhythms with drummer, Harvey Wirht

*** Lesson Details ***
With over 20 years teaching experience, Nick is patient with children & adults. He has a creative, unique pedagogy emphasizing hearing through singing, ear-training & natural, organic listening. Nick instills healthy absorption of music while students have fun learning their music, sight reading, internalizing with focus on rhythm and time.
As a student, you will get to work on music that you, the student select as well as work on sight-reading, technique, ear-training. We will also work out of method books and use other sources of information.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Chairs, music stands, instrument stands, classical foot pedals, classical guitar pillows, guitar amps, guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, drum set. Students usually provide their own instruments but it's possible to borrow an instrument during the lesson at the studio on the first lesson. (free street parking right in front!)

*** Specialties ***
Nick's pedagogy emphasizes ear-training, singing, reading and truly hearing the music we are working on. Rather than rote teaching and guitar tablature, he instills natural listening, transcribing, sight-reading and proper technique. Lessons are always enjoyable as Nick observes each student's unique needs and listen's to their song preferences and musical goals. Students have the opportunity to learn pieces and genres they select and they are trained to figure out tunes by ear (ear-training) and transcribe.

Nick teaches:

-classical guitar and Brazilian guitar (nylon 6 string and nylon 7 string guitar)
-acoustic steel string guitar, electric 6 string and electric 7 string guitar
- jazz guitar + an eclectic mix of styles: blues, Brazilian music, Latin Jazz, Afro-Peruvian, Indian music, rock, heavy metal, funk, R & B, Motown, reggae + other genres.
- tenor banjo (traditional jazz, jazz from New Orleans, Dixieland and world music)
-5 string banjo (Earl Scruggs finger picking [bluegrass and country])
-tenor guitar
-ukulele
-mandolin
-resonator slide/Dobro.
-baritone resonator (slide)

pecialize in include rock and metal vocals and guitar. Songwriting, production and performance

h to music education, which focuses on gesture, improvisation, coordination, and command over the musical language.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Steinway upright, couch, and plant

*** Travel Equipment ***
I will provide books for the lesson, xeroxes for students, pencils, staff paper, etc. Students should buy or copy music as appropriate.

*** Specialties ***
Piano: beg to adv - prefers inter to adv

I am trained in Dalcroze Education, which is an approach to music education that uses movement to connect what the ear hears and what the mind knows. In the piano lesson, I draw from what I have developed in the classroom, including improvisation, dis-ordination, kinaesthetic awareness, and notation.

orchestrations, and in some cases private lessons via video call.

Please contact me with any questions you have! Thank you.

n involving violinists from 35 countries. I am the 2017-2019 Composer in Residence for the Eureka Ensemble in Boston.

A two-time winner of the Chicago College of Performing Arts Vector Project, my orchestral music has been performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Eureka Ensemble, the JVL Festival Orchestra in Ontario, the Cremona Academy Festival Orchestra in Italy, the Chicago College of Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra, the Grammy-winning Pioneer Symphony Orchestra in Ann Arbor, and the New England Conservatory Orchestra in Boston. My string orchestra works are published by TRN Music and my chamber and orchestral music is published by Femoire. I am a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago and the New England Conservatory in Boston. 

I am a frequent lecturer at universities and high schools, often speaking on the subjects of creativity, entrepreneurship, and how to create a career after music school. An advocate of the innate creativity in young people, I have brought composition and theory programs to schools and music festivals in three countries. I have helped my students get into music composition programs at great universities and conservatories, and I maintain a studio of international composition and theory students. When not composing, I secretly enjoys screaming trumpet music, openly enjoy John William Waterhouse paintings, and will never pass up an iced coffee. http://stephanieannboyd.com