Piano with Benjamin D.

Talent is surprisingly common. What is uncommon is the willingness to develop this talent through adequate practice. Desire is the answer to this problem. As a teacher, I want to know what you want to learn. If I can build a lesson plan centered around your musical desires, you'll practice more, have more fun, and keep learning. I've taught piano for more than half my life, starting in 1999. I worked my way through college teaching and playing gigs, going on to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance and Studio Music from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 2012. I'm currently a tenured music professor at Tennessee Wesleyan University where I teach applied piano, music theory, instrumentation, counterpoint, arranging, and composition. In addition to teaching classical repertoire, I'm very comfortable teaching jazz improvisation as well as blues, pop, contemporary Christian, gospel, salsa, and most everything else. While the details differ between styles, music has certain universal structures which can be learned. Anything that can be learned can be taught, and anything that is taught can be practiced. In addition to teaching, I've also maintained a performance career. During some years, gigging was my main source of income. For example, when living in Chicago, I performed at local jazz venues most nights of the week. Additionally, I have a long history serving as a church musician both in contemporary and traditional styles of worship. I currently serve as organist at my church in Knoxville, TN. I've published more than 2,000 arrangements and compositions available at sites such as Sheet Music Plus and JW Pepper. I've played on more than ten albums ranging from solo piano to jazz big bands and have played in numerous concerts, sharing the stage with greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Zim Ngqawana, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Reading music is especially useful, and so is playing by ear. It is rare, however, to find a musician or a music teacher who is equally skilled in both. I offer students the opportunity to utilize all of their senses to develop their musical potential. If you have a dream to play piano, let me be your guide. Together we'll turn your passion into a plan of action and have some fun along the way.