Mounds, OK Piano Lessons

usic to help you find your own voice.
When you find your voice, the rest of you is not far behind.

We help people to overcome any fears they may have about playing. We simply help you to find your confidence. Many people are afraid to express themselves because of negative comments from a family member or friend. We help you move far past that and get to your own voice, free of worries.

It has been said that playing only from sheet music is like only being able to talk when you are reading it from a book.

We help people to play and sing by ear.

Yes, learning to read music brings you wonderful music from some great composers. But there is so much more.

First, we find out how you learn and what you are interested in. Life is just different when you get in touch with the music inside you. Sure, it is some work, but it is very satisfying!
I love to help people do this!

All that said, reading musical notes is like your alphabet.
When was the last time you had to ponder the alphabet when you wanted to speak? Once you know the alphabet, you just forget it and move on, to words, stories and communication.
Music is a language as well.

Everybody loves music. How will you find yours? It’s different for everyone.
Maybe you want to sing like that great pop singer you love, or play keyboard. Some people write songs. In all cases, the keyboard helps you to understand all about music.

Bach used to improvise all the time. Why shouldn't you?

SONGWRITERS:
If you write songs, just bring in an idea and we will record it. We set a tempo and a key, and get your basic groove looped, all in about two minutes. Then we lay down the chords and a bass part and you sing a reference vocal. You can easily lay out a song in a one-hour session. Then it is easy to see how to produce it. It is amazing to go home with a recording of your song that did not exist in the world until you gave it a voice!

Along the way, you become a better writer, singer and/or keyboard player. You will learn to play by ear. And have a LOT of fun. You can do this online too.

ONLINE SESSIONS
You create a rough sketch and we track it, with your input.
We can help you to set up your own songwriter studio as well. If you get Logic software at your end, you can put on phones and cut a vocal with me producing you.
Seriously, great fun.
;0)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“...an amazing instructor...inspiring mentor...compassionate.”
“...a lot of patience.”
“My son's love for music has come from Randy.”
“...positive attitude and friendly personality.”
“...wildly entertaining.”
“ ...will teach you in a way that will make you want to learn.”
“We look forward to our lesson every week!”

"Randy, I like your "Semper Method of Music” teaching method.
It's applying knowledge with fun, and common sense... the best combination. Good luck. You’re a great musician."
Joe Messina,
Motown recording guitarist & Funk Brother

SONGLab
Your music. Instantly.
We use recording as a powerful tool to help you listen and improve.
Tired of crappy tabs? Struggling to capture your song? No worries.
Learn a process, instead of a lesson. Apply it anywhere.

Go from musical idea to music, fast.
Get to the groove in 2 minutes or less. In any software.

SONGLab Studio. The antidote to rote.

SCHEDULING:
Please note: If the particular time you had in mind is listed as unavailable, don’t worry. Between working online and two locations, I am very flexible and will work hard to make our schedules click.

SPECIAL NEEDS?
Everyone's needs are special. If your child has been diagnosed ADHD or ASD, music can be a joyful and rewarding way to see real growth and make a wonderful experience for parent and child. We help with the Proprioceptive and Vestibular senses in a fun and therapeutic way.

Just Google "BrainVolts" for a tremendous study from Northwestern University on the amazing effects of music study!

Playing by Ear
Pretty much everyone can play by ear. So we help you to find your own voice, reach your musical goals and to create and perform music as a real and beautiful part of your life.

Making music should not be a boring job. Rather, it should be something you can't wait to do. A way to get in touch with the rest of the universe. You will also learn to read and write, but it won't get in the way of your music.

Since a very young age I have loved to improvise and to create music. It is very satisfying to pass this on to others who are full of music inside but may not know how to get it out. If you wish that you or your child could get some help creating your own music as well as playing the great music already written, perhaps we should be talking.

I am from Canada, and I have been a professional musician since 1970. I studied music performance in school, piano with the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and Music Education at Queens University. I have toured with national acts, produced dozens of recordings of all kinds and played, arranged and conducted music on cruise ships all over the world.

Music is my life. Bringing other people's skills to a higher level is what I do best.

Tell me what you want to accomplish, either for yourself or your child. I look forward to speaking with you.
Warm regards,
Randy

PS:
A note about allergens:
I teach online and at my home and my studio. At home we have two very friendly dogs and a cat (Julian) who sleeps all day. If you have allergies, we will study at the Troy studio which is allergen-free. Unless you love animals. In that case, you will get to meet Vinnie & Buddy, the two most kid-friendly, loves-everybody, most gentle little guys you will ever meet. I put Vinnie's picture up so you can see him.

Teaching teachers
Several excellent teachers I know who have been teaching music for many years were frustrated by not being able to play without a sheet of music. They have found satisfying and positive results from this approach.

Wouldn't it be great to be gifted? In fact... It turns out that choices lead to habits.
Habits become talents. Talents are labeled gifts.
You're not born this way, you get this way.
~ Seth Godin

*** Lesson Details ***

Music should be fun. Period.

My only real job is to make sure you have fun and want to learn more. Then you will do the rest. you will astonish yourself and everyone around you!

In a traditional music education, reading the works of others is the focus, with no encouragement to improvise or to play by ear.

In our community, there is a prestigious, private college prep school that charges just under $80 per hour for traditional private music lessons. If you take away the music, most cannot play a note.

My method is every bit the equal of that school for those who are drawn to express themselves playing by ear. You will still learn all the core skills needed to be a well-rounded musician.

Music study helps people young and old to overcome shyness and build confidence. It empowers them as they refine their special talents.

We will always have a lot of fun, but there is a lot to do, so we need to be efficient. My teaching method is a combination of the best methods I have found. It is backed up with the same solid principles that I received when I was a student myself. If you choose to continue and pursue a classical education at a high level, you will be well-prepared.

Please note:
You are most welcome to start with 30 minute sessions to see if we are a good fit. 30 min lessons are offered for this purpose and also for very young children with short attention spans. For any student, wishing to make progress, lessons will eventually need to be an hour or 45 minutes at minimum in order to reach your goals.

Attendance
While fun is our main goal, we need results and I am an old-school stickler for results.

Weekly sessions are the only way to get measurable results, and the only way I teach. Two absences a month is noted by colleges as a clear path to dropping out. That is what bi-weekly sessions will do.

Though you'll receive serious critiques from me, I always uplift and encourage. Positive energy is the ticket.

My Method:
Listen, Sing, Clap, Play, Read and Write. With these tools you can look deeper into the elements that make up music. Folk, jazz, pop, rock or classical; all Western music is derived from the same principles. We will study ear training from a wonderful ear training book by a famous guitarist. It'™s simple: you learn all the theory so you will be at the top of your game, but always have fun doing it.
For notation, we will use The Semper Note Speller.
For scales, we have the famous Brown Scale Book.

Technology
We use recording as a tool to help you hear how you sound and we always encourage you to express yourself with improvisation. In many cases, you will have tracks to practice with. We also use apps for your phone that really help. A guitar tuner to nail down vocal pitch, as well as a metronome app that is with you wherever you go. If you have a minute anywhere you can get in some good practice time. So we truly have the best of all worlds: playing from music and learning to play by ear! If you stick with it and do the work, the end result will be that you can always just sit down and play, whether or not you have any music in front of you!

On our first lesson we will do a duet jam session together and you will not believe how great you sound!

The Big Picture
In the old days, a tiny percentage of students would become a concert pianist.

Today, there are a multitude of other ways to become involved with music. Whether you are looking at music as a profession or as a hobby, we let parents know of the many choices available so that they can make good decisions, for themselves and for their children.

Having fun as you improve is a big priority. I also teach songwriting, singing, music recording and performance, as well as piano.

Remember:
A piano should be an irresistible invitation, not an obstacle.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Troy studio: A digital keyboard in a professional recording control-room environment at our media production studio. The studio is near Big Beaver and Stephenson Hwy.

Home studio: An acoustic piano and recording studio environment at my home in Franklin/Beverly Hills.

Your Instrument
If you are taking any kind of music lesson, we recommend a tuned piano or digital keyboard, preferably with at least 76 full-sized keys.

We have helped many people to find the right piano.
If you like, I can suggest several different models of keyboard that I have researched and of which I approve. They range from an inexpensive but effective starter keyboard for ear training and just plain fun to an 88 note weighted keyboard for more expressive practice.

*** Specialties ***
Adults who always wanted to.
Homeschoolers who are frustrated.
Kids who just love music.

My youngest student is 4 and my oldest student is 102 now. )At 100 he recorded an album of songs from the 1920s!)

I teach people of all ages first to play by ear and to have fun while they study. Then I back up ear training with solid theory so they can read and write music. In school I studied many traditional methods and I have distilled my own distinct method from them. Though I am classically trained, I specialize in improvisation.
Here's to a most satisfying musical experience!
Best regards,
Randy

y patient teacher. I understand that not everyone learns the same way so I specialize in breaking things down and making music as simple as it can be for each kind of student. I don't use just one method, I pull from my arsenal of acquired knowledge, books, and my own studies. I keep lessons fun and interesting. A normal lesson with me would consist of two parts the first 30 minutes we would focus on learning and practicing warm ups, exercises, licks, notes, scales, chords, arpeggios, timing, rudiments, dynamics, ear training, theory, technique, etc. And the second half we would work on a song or jam together. Depending on the age and level of student, after spending six months studying with me you will be a rock star! LOL. Well, you may not have a recording contract, but you will have gained a volume of knowledge and taken your playing up a few levels. It's all about how much time and practice you put in and how much you want it. Every student has there own pace and desire so I do my part to help them become the best that they want to be.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Home Studio: drum set, practice pad, piano and keyboard, guitar amps, chairs, parents can sit in on lesson.

Broken Arrow Music Studio: drum set, guitar amp, piano, and lobby room for parents.

*** Specialties ***
I specialize in working with beginner to advanced level students. I teach all styles of music.

ophone quartets, private oboe lessons, and group guitar class.

Carl completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance at the University of Kansas in 2014, and his Master of Music Pedagogy and Performance from Oklahoma State University in 2011. He graduated from Harrah High School in 2002, earned his Bachelor of Music Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2008, and was a 5th-12th grade Head Band Director at Fairview Public schools. He is currently a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance, the Jazz Education Network, Music Teachers National Association, treasurer of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, and an Honorary Member of Tau Beta Sigma. He has held previous memberships with Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Delta Pi, and the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association.

While at KU, Carl was also a graduate teaching assistant for the saxophone studio and jazz studies program. His responsibilities included Assistant Director of the KU Jazz Festival, directing Jazz Ensembles II-III, directing Jazz Combo III-VI, assisting with the KU Jazz Festival, directing Saxophone Quartets II-III, teaching private saxophone lessons, assisting in saxophone studio class, and teaching the music education woodwind methods course. His Lecture Recital Document, A Performer’s Analysis of Selected Jazz Works for Saxophone Quartet, featured an interview with Bob Mintzer. Carl was a member of KU Jazz Ensemble I, KU Saxophone Quartet I, and KU's Helianthus New Music Ensemble. As a member of KU's Jazz Ensemble 1, Carl has performed with Dave Douglas, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Alex Sipiagin, Steve Owen, Gary Foster, Steve Houghton, Clint Ashlock, David von Kampen, Peter Epstein, Jeff Miley, James Miley, Roger Shew, and Brian Hamada, Brandon Draper, Rich Wheeler, Beau Bledsoe, Jeff Harshbarger, and Matt Otto. In July 2014, Carl went on a European tour with KU Jazz Ensemble I featuring Steve Leisring and Deborah Brown. Together, they performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Vienne Jazz Festival in France, and performed in several cities in Germany. Recordings by this band resulted in KU winning the DownBeat Student Award (Graduate College Large Jazz Ensemble Division) in 2015.

While at OSU, Carl was a GTA for the saxophone studio and music theory programs. His responsibilities included Music Theory I-IV tutoring and grading, sight-singing grading, piano labs, classical and jazz saxophone lessons, saxophone quartet coaching, saxophone studio Webmaster, and saxophone studio class. Carl was a member of the OSU Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble 1. He had a regularly performing jazz trio and played in OSU's X2End saxophone quartet. The X2End quartet performed locally at the 2011 Navy Band Saxophone Symposium in Washington D.C., at the 2011 NASA Region IV Conference, and has won the state and division rounds of the 2010-2011 MTNA Chamber Music Competition. The X2End quartet went on to win the 3rd place prize at the national final round of the MTNA Chamber Music Competition. They also were the Division II Chamber Ensemble winners at the 2011 Hubbard Music Competition where they were awarded the 2nd place prize in the overall finals. Carl's final degree paper at OSU was a study of composer/performer collaboration. He traveled to Texas, Michigan, and Ohio to interview saxophonists and composers including David Dees, Peter Fischer, John Sampen,Marilyn Shrude, Joe Lulloff, and Charles Ruggiero. He has presented his lecture at the 2011 Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, the 2011 NASA Region IV Conference, and the 2012 OSU Single Reed Summit. As a member of OSU's Jazz Ensemble 1, he has performed with Bob Sheppard, Conrad Herwig, Wayne Bergeron, and Andy Martin.

While at SWOSU, Carl performed as a member of the marching band, wind ensemble, Jazz Ensemble A, saxophone quartet, and his own jazz combo named Five-Seven. As a member of SWOSU's Jazz Ensemble A, he has performed with Dan Haerle, Bob Bowman, Jack Mouse, Fred Forney, Janice Borla, Eddie Daniels, Pamela York, Lynn Seaton, Carl Allen, Dr. Michael Cox, Tom Williams, Dr. Robert Chambers, Dave Hanson, Drori Mondlak, Delores Williams, Byron Stripling, Frank Wess, Kenny Drew Jr.,Dennis Mackrel, Bill Watrous, Rich Eames, Jennifer Leitham, and Randy Drake.
​
Carl's primary saxophone instructors have been Vince Gnojek, Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert, Dr. Ann Bradfield, Dr. Keith Talley, and William Rodney Hull. He has had additional instruction in lessons and masterclasses from Gary Foster, Dr. Joseph Murphy, Dr. Michael Cox, Bob Sheppard, Johnny Salinas, Dr. Kimberly Goddard Loeffert, Dr. Geoffrey Deibel, Dr. Jonathan Nichol, Dr. Griffin Campbell, Dr. James Laughlin, and Dr. David Dees. Carl's jazz directors have included Dan Gailey, Bob McCurdy, Dr. Jonathan Martin, Dr. Keith Talley, and Dr. Terry Segress.

​Carl lives in Brookings, South Dakota. He enjoys recording several instruments in his home studio and composing new music. His compositions that have been performed include his big band arrangement of Cat Battles by Joshua Redman,September in the Refrain (alto saxophone and electronics), Funk-o-matic (jazz combo), Smooth (jazz combo), and The Deadline Arrives at Dawn (alto saxophone and electronics). As an advocate of new music involving the saxophone, he has participated in a commissioning consortium for Alone Together by composer David MacDonald through Kick Starter. In 2013, Carl performed the premier of Cuento #3 by Nelson Ramirez Diaz. During summer of 2014, he recorded selections from Dr. John Walker's "The Alto Saxophone in the Attic," published by Carl Fischer. At the 10th Annual SDSU/Brookings Optimist Jazz Festival in 2015, Carl directed SDSU Jazz Ensemble I's premier of Dog, Tired by David von Kampen.

​Dr. Carl is a Conn-Selmer Endorsing Artist. He hosted the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 3 (ND, SD, NE, MN, IA) Conference at South Dakota State University on March 17-18, 2017. On Saturday, April 8, 2017, Carl performed Dreams in the Dusk by David Biedenbender with South Dakota State University's Wind Symphony, directed by Dr. Jacob Wallace. On Monday, February 6, 2017, Carl will be performed the premiere of Lhotse for alto saxophone and percussion by Steve Danyew with Dr. Aaron Ragsdale.

tails!

l enjoys playing to this day. After writing many songs over the years, he was presented with the opportunity to record his first full-length album in 2015 titled, “Live in KC.” From this album, Ron received recognition from the electronic-pop artist Ampyx. The two collaborated to produce the song, “Shoot For the Stars,” which was signed by a record label after just three days after its release.

| Awards & Achievements |
Ron was the recipient of a four year, full-tuition music scholarship at the University of Tulsa, where he was named the Outstanding Senior for K-12 music education. He graduated with honors, achieving recognition on the President's List each semester. Prior to attending TU, Ron received the Charles Ferguson Music Award for outstanding contribution to the music program at Missouri Valley College.