West Jefferson Music Lessons

at Grace College in 2010, where he received a Bachelors of Music in Instrumental Performance. In addition, he attended the Carnegie Mellon University in 2012 where he received a Masters in Music. He has studied with Peter Sullivan, Jim Kraft, John Kitzman, and Graeme Mutchler.

As an expert in his field, Jeremy looks forward to helping new students achieve their goals. Jeremy's teaching style is positive, supportive, patient and constructive, focused on the individual student's needs, and enjoyable. Jeremy will work at your pace and cares about each of his students. Jeremy will teach you the proper positions and fingerings, technique, how to read music and how to improve your playing.

I am currently accepting new students. I recommend weekly lessons for all students to ensure good progress, but I do offer bi-weekly lessons as well. I can provide information on purchasing or renting an instrument if needed. You can check my availability on my schedule and sign up for lessons with TakeLessons.com. Please e-mail me with any questions or about available times for lessons. I will respond quickly. Thank you for your interest and consideration.

er Kings. Whose debut CD, "Diamonds On The Desert Floor", was produced by Alligator recording artist Michael Hill. The CD was nominated by the Blues Foundation of Memphis, Tennessee as a top-5 finalist at the 2011 International Blues Challenge and has been receiving airplay on stations across North America, South America, and Europe as well as being honored as a pick to click on Sirius/ XM's B.B. Kings Bluesville. It was also featured as a winner of Blues Revue Magazine's Sponsor the Bands Contest in the May/ June 2011 issue.

I have been teaching since 1978 and many of my students have gone on to pursue professional music careers. I am a very well-rounded musician and teacher, experienced in many aspects of musical training and performance. I have worked with every age level, from the beginner to advanced student, in one-on-one as well as classroom settings. I am patient and will bring out the best in my students. You will definitely benefit from my years of musical experience.

*** Lesson Details ***
Our musical experience together will be fun and educational. You will learn the basics of drumming: rudiments, chart reading and complete independence. Lessons will be tailored to each individual student's needs, abilities and interests. Handouts, lesson books and videos will be incorporated in the curriculum.

These lessons will cover the drumming skills needed for playing all musical genres including jazz, blues, rock, pop and world music. Based on my years of experience in the studio and on the road, I will also offer advice on starting a band if desired, types of equipment appropriate to various musical genres. and practical skills for entering the music business.

My teaching style is structured but flexible. The student will learn at their own pace. As with any course of study, the more effort you put into it, the more you will benefit. Let's get started!

*** Studio Equipment ***
Basement Studio: Gretsch USA Custom Drum Kit, Mapex Rebel Drum Kit, Peavy Classic 30 Amp, Drum Videos, Metronome, Seating For Parents

*** Travel Equipment ***
Handouts, Incidentals - I'll provide.

Drum Kit, Practice Pad, Sticks, Metronome - Student to provide.

*** Specialties ***
Complete independence, open arms (left hand leads), chart reading and writing, all styles.

ic with others and seeing their joy from being able play for themselves.

*** Lesson Details ***

14 years experience

2 optional recitals per year (Spring and Christmas)

Ages 4 through adult

passion for music extends from intense listening to creative expression. He is ready to share his Love of the Performing Arts with his next students.

tudio. Learning an instrument is beneficial for many reasons. Aside from the obvious enjoyment one gets out of playing beautiful music, working at a skill week after week helps children build confidence and grow in all areas of life. I coach my students to take pride in their accomplishments, to exude an air of assurance and poise when sitting at the piano, and to become self-directed learners.

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
One of the wonderful (and obvious) benefits of private instruction is that each student's unique abilities and shortcomings can be brought into clear focus and addressed. I am highly skilled at encouraging students through a careful balance of praise and constructive criticism. I make sure they are aware of (and take pride in) their strengths so that when challenging moments arise, they are motivated to do the work.

I maintain high expectations for my students, constantly reminding them that it's the quality (not the quantity) of their playing that counts. It is much more important to me that a student learns to play one piece well rather than ten pieces poorly. There is no race to the finish line. I believe in taking however much time is necessary to help a child understand a concept—we might spend the majority of a lesson on it if we have to. Learning must be done at the child's own speed. Children benefit enormously from having 100% of my attention during lessons; they will never need to try and "catch up" with other students.

METHOD:
Most method books for young students focus on teaching the child to read notes on a page, and as one can only learn to read music so fast, children are therefore stuck playing songs that keep the hands rooted on or around Middle C. There are so many problems with this method, least of all the fact that it's quite boring. A bigger issue is the lack of focus on technique and playing. Children are naturally musical--they love to sing and dance. Playing piano should be no different. Children can be taught songs using no music at all; rather, they can learn simple melodies by identifying patterns on the piano. This helps train their ear AND frees the child up to focus on technique rather than scrutinizing the notes on the page. My students get to use the entire keyboard almost right away (both black keys and white keys) rather than being crowded around Middle C.

Another issue with the Middle C position is that it creates an awkward twisting inward of the wrists, which breeds tension. The first thing students should learn is how to play with relaxed wrists, not tense ones!! This is one of the building blocks of good piano technique. Keeping kids rooted around Middle C for the first six months of their piano education does not set them up for good technique.

Now, all of this is not to say that I don't teach children to read music--I do. Absolutely! I introduce intervals and guide notes as soon as possible. I think the intervallic approach is super useful, especially when dealing with children who are coached from a young age to look for patterns. Alongside reading music, though, it is important to teach songs that are only for playing.

For beginning students, I like to use the Piano Safari method. These books offer a wonderful blend of rote pieces (for playing, not reading) and reading pieces that use the intervallic approach. These pieces are fun and engaging--some parents complain about how their children won't stop practicing them! Here is a sampling book of other books and materials I may use:

Beginning Students: Tales of a Musical Journey Books 1 + 2, Piano Safari Books 1 + 2, Carl Czerny's The Little Pianist, Bastien Piano Literature Book 1, Royal Conservatory Series Preparatory Books A & B and Book 1

Intermediate Students: Piano Safari Book 3, Bastien Piano Literature Books 2-4, Royal Conservatory Series Books 2-6

Advanced Students: Bastien Piano Literature Books 5-6, Early Advanced Classics to Moderns, Royal Conservatory Series Books 7-10

Parkinson, Peter Sullivan, Peter Ellefson and Joe Duchi.