Drums with Jon B.

My son began taking piano lessons just before age 8. For two years we struggled through those lessons. My son would retreat under the piano or give up and in general was not making much progress. He wasn't enjoying learning music and the two teachers that he had did not know how to engage my son (who has Asperger's) in a way that was meaningful or effective. I was ready to give up on music lessons for my son when we met Jon. Jon brought his energy and enthusiasm for music and life into our home each week and my son caught on. My son started to WANT to practice and took on learning new and much more complicated songs. Jon's teaching style is very flexible, so when my son was into playing on the piano, that is what they would do, if he needed a break they would do some music theory work on the iPad, in between playing music, they would talk baseball. Jon connected with my son and was therefore a highly effective teacher for him. For the first time, my son wanted to perform in the Jam Session (recital) to show off what he had learned and he played an amazing rendition of Sweet Caroline with style and accuracy. After the Jam session, my son asked if he could continue taking lessons over the summer and could Jon start teaching him trumpet, in addition to piano. Jon encouraged him to try new things and got him excited about music. We were very sad to hear that Jon was moving away. We wish him all the best in his new endeavor.

Jon taught both my daughters, ages 9 and 11, piano for the past two years. His love for music is apparent and his enthusiasm infectious. My girls loved their weekly lessons and progressed steadily from total beginners to where they were comfortable enough to perform short solos at their end of the year performances. His lessons were always fun and engaging. We highly recommend Jon and wish him all the best in CA!

Jon was Ben's drum instructor for about two years. With Jon's help and encouragement, Ben got so good that we now enjoy hearing our 15-year-old son play the drums in our house as loud as possible. We like and trust Jon, and consider him a family friend. We were sorry when Jon told us he was moving to California, but excited for his new opportunity. Jon is one of the most sincere and enthusiastic people we know, and he makes learning music fun, Ben says. Jon gets our highest rating!