Classical Guitar with Julie M.

I have been teaching voice, guitar and piano to students of all ages and levels for over 5 years now. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music with a BA in Songwriting and Vocal Studies. I teach mostly contemporary musical styles such as Pop/Rock/Country/R&B, but I have also trained and coached many students interested in pursuing musical theater and classical styles as well. I have performed live in countless venues in many cities both as a solo artist, and with a band as a side-woman. I like to emphasize performance skills as well as the basic techniques. I also have a lot of experience in the recording studio, and I relate that to any student interested in recording. As a songwriter, I have co-written with a few of my students and coached them on song structure, melody, etc. I also incorporate as much basic music theory as I can with my students and their instruments, in order that they may understand the language of music better. Overall, I try to cater to the individual needs of each and every one of my students -- and have fun!! *** Lesson Details *** I generally tend to be laid back when it comes to my teaching style. After all, music is fun, and I want my students to have fun learning. However, that being said, I do expect my students to practice every day. Ideally I would love for everyone to create a timed half-hour practice session, but I realize that sometimes this isn't possible. So I try to emphasize that practicing a little, even for five minutes every day, is better than no practice at all. For voice studies, I devise my own curriculum according to what level and style the student wishes to learn. Everything is very technique-oriented, meaning that we will spend half of the lesson on vocal technique, and half of the lesson on applying that technique to performance and songs. I wholly encourage my students to choose their own songs; that way, I know that they like them. However, I have quite a catalogue of songs I can choose should the student have trouble deciding. For guitar and piano lessons, the books and methods vary depending on age and level. For beginners in guitar I like to use the Hal Leonard Beginner Guitar Series, for both children and adults (there is a separate set for both). For piano I am partial to the Alfred catalogue, especially for children. I highly recommend for beginner piano students that they purchase the whole set of books together: Lessons, Technique, Performance and Theory. These books are designed to work together and give the student a better understanding of playing, reading and musical language skills. As with voice, however, I encourage students to bring me material of their choice for piano and/or guitar. Workbooks can be tedious sometimes, and since I want my students to have fun and remain interested, I want to teach them what they desire to learn as much as possible. *** Studio Equipment *** Upright piano, 2 acoustic and 1 electric guitar, keyboard with organ sounds, amps, microphones, music stands and books. *** Travel Equipment *** I provide all paperwork and practice material. Sometimes I will bring a portable keyboard for vocal lessons if one is not available. It is important for a student to have a guitar or bass to practice on if they are a guitar student (acoustic or electric), and it is helpful for a student to have a piano or a working keyboard for piano and voice lessons *** Specialties *** *Teachers marked as a Student Favorite have taught a minimum of 25 lessons and have received the highest feedback rating from students.I specialize in contemporary music styles, but I am very technique-oriented and I incorporate music theory in every style and instrument that I teach. My methods of teaching range from use of books from beginner to advanced styles, to my own personal lesson plans that I have accumulated over the years. I also specialize in one-on-one singer/songwriter clinics to help better writing styles, melody writing, chord structure, etc.