Joel M.

I started playing recognizable melodies on the piano at 18 months old. At that time I was told that I even had perfect pitch. By age 5, my mother started giving me classical, gospel, and improvisational lessons. I was one of her 50 students until my senior year in high school. Through elementary, junior high, and high school, I received a lot of performance experience from school marching/concert bands, choirs, church choirs, piano concerts, band/choral conducting, and composing.

I received my BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington; through college and to the present, I have received over 25 years of performing/directing experience from overseeing two mega-church music ministries. At these ministries, I served as the department head, responsible for lead piano, directing, arranging, worship leading, and departmental oversight.

I have produced 10 personal instrumental projects, and I have produced and recorded over 40 projects for other local, regional, and international artists. I currently travel with national, jazz, recording saxophonist, Joseph Vincelli, and my personal band Zamar. We have performed with a number of acts from Kirk Franklin, Darren Rahn, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, Fred Hammond, and many more.

As an instructor, I have been blessed with an ability to be relatable, relevant, musical, creative, fun, and engaging. I understand the language of music as a performer, and instructor, but most importantly, I value the ability to help the student find their own path of learning the joy of making music vocally and instrumentally. With over 18 years of private teaching experience and 30 years of group experience, I have gained a wealth of knowledge on how to be instructive and personal with the young or older beginner, intermediate and even advanced players. Let's grow together musically.

*** Lesson Details ***
My teaching style is very laid back, although goal-oriented. We have fun while seeing progress. For piano, I typically use the Alfred Series "Alfred Basics 1 - 6" or the Adult All-in-One for the Older Beginner. In the first 3 - 6 months, one will become familiar with basis technics and concepts behind creating music. These concepts will be the foundation behind learning how to read music, play by ear, and create your own songs in any style.

We would move a little faster for the older beginner and work through the Alfred's All in One in conjunction with introducing my 5 steps to performance for any popular style. These steps have been very valuable for those that are wanting to play piano, guitar, bass, or even sing.

For vocalist, I work through Estelle Liebling, Vocal Course, Alfred Piano (as an instrumental reference) and a number of practical performance techniques that I have gained over the years to sing in more of a pop, jazz, gospel setting. We will work on performance techniques and develop the ear to gain confidence to perform in various popular settings. I will also introduce creative ways to make up original music using basic theory and ear training.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Acoustic Piano, Yamaha MOXF8, Roland Fantom, Protools 9, Logic ProX, Midi Keyboards, Bass Mod 5 String Bass, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, and Tama Drum Kit.

*** Specialties ***

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I specialize in gospel, R&B, Neo Soul, Blues, jazz improvisation, arranging, lead sheets, rhythm charts, and music arrangement theory