Guitar with Josiah S.

At the age of four, after watching a group of children playing their violins on the television show, “Sesame Street”, I became inspired to learn how to play the violin. Since that time I have studied violin with Daniel Vega-Albela, Dr. Joseph Koob and Renata Knific. In 2006, I graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Studies. During my undergraduate studies, I learned beginning jazz guitar and improvisation from jazz guitarist, John Riemer. Leading up to my attending WMU, I had participated in Master Classes with Sally O’Reilly, Dr. Barry Ross, Stephen Clapp, Benny Kim, Katie Lansdale, David Barg, and Ronda Cole. I was a member of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony for five years and I was the concertmaster during my senior year. I also won the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony’s soloist competition during my senior year of High School. I was a featured youth soloist with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra during their youth concerts in 2003. I also performed as a soloist on WMUK’s radio program, “Bravo!” I played in the Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra for two years. Over the years I have attended several different summer music institutes including “Aria” in Muncie, Indiana, “Steven’s Point” in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin, “Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp” in Muskegon, Michigan, and “Sound Encounters” in Ottawa, Kansas. In addition to playing classical and jazz music, I thoroughly enjoy the music of the fiddle. I have played fiddle with a few different bands in Chicago, IL, Virginia Beach, VA and Southwest Michigan. I have played in numerous pit orchestras for musical theater productions in the Southwest Michigan area. In addition to being an accomplished musician, I have been happily teaching music lessons for the past six years. As a Certified Suzuki teacher, I believe in providing a positive, nurturing environment for my students to learn. I am committed to providing a friendly approach to teaching music lessons. I strive to make the learning process fun and interesting for them. I respect my students. I love helping each one of them find creative ways to achieve their unique set of musical goals. I teach classical, jazz, bluegrass and rock music. *** Lesson Details *** Lessons take place in a large class room at a local church conveniently located right off of I-94. There is a lobby area with chairs where the parents can wait. Parents can also watch their younger children in the nursery area. To start: If you don't already have an instrument, I will help you find a nice one and the proper equipment. I will also provide you with recordings of the music that you will be learning. I believe that listening to your pieces ahead of time is a great help when it comes time to learn them. During your first three to six months of lessons, I will discover your main learning style. For example, you may learn music more easily using a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic approach. You will have lots of fun developing a beautiful tone on your instrument as we focus our attention on developing your technique. I will show you how to practice the music on your own so that you can make the most of your practice time. Your confidence and self-esteem will increase as you build a repertoire of music from the very beginning of our time together. As you progress in your musical skills and artistic development, you will become fluent in performing your favorite pieces. Each lesson contains technical and musical points covered in a carefully thought out, step-by-step progression. You will eventually gain the skills and knowledge to play your instrument at whatever proficiency level you desire. When teaching, I divide skills into smaller units so that you will always be successful. I like to give you immediate, honest, and specific feedback after each time you play your instrument for me. I always respect my students and acknowledge the effort that they put forth. Since music reading skills take time to become equal to playing skills, I usually teach music reading skills after the first six to eight months of lessons. *** Studio Equipment *** Classrooms in building, space for parents to wait in lobby, nursery for parents with younger children. *** Specialties *** I specialize in teaching fiddle and the classical Suzuki violin and viola method.