Drums with Alex Y.

My name is Alex. I have a B.A. in Music Composition with a minor in music theory from Roosevelt University's CCPA. I have privately studied guitar for 10+ years and have studied piano with Glenna Sprague and Sevgi Giles. I am also highly competent in music history as well as electroacoustic music composition. I am very familiar with programs such as Pro Tools and Max/MSP. Aside from western music, I have been studying and performing Javanese Gamelan for over 4 years and have had the opportunity to study from Gamelan masters in Java, Indonesia such as Mas Midiyanto, Mas Joko Sutrisno, and Mas Darsono. I have also performed at various places such as Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, and the Chicago Club. I have been commissioned by groups such as Friends of the Gamelan and Con Brio. I have been teaching private lessons for over 5 years now. I have also led several class workshop sessions on javanese gamelan with Friends of the Gamelan and at the Latin School of Chicago. As mentioned above, I teach composition, theory, history, guitar, piano, electronic music/recording, and percussion. For anyone interested in being musically adventurous, I also offer lessons in the javanese gamelan art form. I promise once you try playing gamelan you will be hooked for life! I teach from complete beginner - advanced in all fields. *** Lesson Details *** My teaching methods are always about the student and learning process first and the paycheck second. I believe that teaching should go past the scheduled meeting time. I always encourage my students to call/email me with any questions before our next meeting time. With music composition I have a non-biased approach to teaching various styles/genres. It is about making whatever you want write effective to the listener, regardless of style. With music theory, I cover the basic fundamentals of music all the way through to 12-tone serialism, sound mass, and minimalism. The entire scope of theory. I also put an emphasis on ear training and aural skills. For music history I cover everything from ancient Greek, early organum, baroque, classical, romantic, impressionism, all the way through to american vernacular, jazz, pop, non-western music. For guitar and piano I am not biased to various styles of playing. Blues, rock, jazz, classical, folk. I put heavy emphasis on aural dictation (figuring out songs by ear) but I also encourage and can teach through reading music off of staff paper. This is likewise for percussion. If you are interested in learning javanese gamelan, you need not have any experience! I can teach the basic fundamentals through the basic formal structures, basic playing styles, basic theory and history. If you are more advanced or want to become more advanced, I also offer more advanced lessons as well. If you are interested in learning the basics of electronic software like Pro Tools or Max/MSP I also offer lessons in those. I cover basic recording knowledge as well as proper gear and program management. *** Travel Equipment *** I can provide books and notation. I expect them to have their own instrument (and amplifier if applicable). *** Specialties *** I am not biased on genres of music that students want to learn. I heavily emphasize ear training and aural skills (figuring out parts by ear). That being said, I never neglect the use of notation. For music theory I base my teaching off the approach used in the Kostka-Payne Tonal Harmony 6th edition.