Classical Piano with Kevin M.

Taking a profound interest in the guitar at the age of 6, I developed a keen sense of improvisational skills in my earlier years, eventually playing in multiple styles of amateur bands that included Rock, Jazz, Funk, Bluegrass, and improvisational Jam-bands. After high school I gained great experience "gigging" professionally in various experimental bluegrass, rock, and Jam-bands but soon sought more stable work as a musician and composer. I returned to school to obtain a degree in music performance and composition. After rapidly advancing on the piano and furthering my studies in classical and jazz music in college, my interests gravitated toward advanced studies in music theory and composition. Since then I have performed professionally for private and public recitals, festivals, musical contests, conventions, restaurants, weddings, etcetera. I have been formally teaching beginning to advanced studies on the guitar and piano to all ages, while continuing to perform professionally. I invite all to explore my profile and listen to my guitar and piano music. Why Choose Kevin as your Music Teacher? As a young, developing musician, I was always frustrated with many of my teachers whom taught on a "need to know" basis. This left me with many unanswered questions about music and practice that would have to be answered over much time spent practicing and studying. Understandably, this was due to the many abstract musical concepts and performing techniques, each of which have many levels of complexity. This made comprehension and execution of these concepts and techniques a step by step process that would take much time and practice spent on each step. It was a, seemingly necessary, general to specific method of teaching that was intended to prevent students from becoming overwhelmed and discouraged. Nonetheless, I had always felt that I could have saved myself much unnecessary time and struggle that could better be utilized by being devoted to more efficient and aggressive progress within my practice, if presented with the "big picture" so to speak. As I progressed further through a lifetime of music studies, I increasingly confirmed this to be true. I began to question exactly who were teachers trying to make the music lesson easier on, the student or themselves. After all, isn't it the teacher's job, first and foremost among many other duties, to promote and inspire understanding as completely as possible, despite the difficulty in presentation and explanation? Of course, teaching methods often should be, and are adapted to fit each individual student, but I quickly noticed a dramatic difference in my own, as well as my student's, ability, understanding, and overall progress when applying an analytically and full explanation of both theory and technique within my music lessons. General Overview: In general, the lessons I offer focus on various styles of interest, learning to play favorite songs and exercises with related scales and chords, timing and rhythm, playing by ear, physical technique, reading tabs or staff music, and basic to advanced compositional techniques and song writing skills. It is always best to start in a lesson book of appropriate age and skill level, but the lessons can also take on a more informal approach if desired. Lesson Plan All lessons despite levels of ability consist of a basic lesson plan of warm-up's with technique building exercises, theoretical concepts, ear training and dictation, performance, and outline of practice plans and goals for the following lesson. Each lesson is followed up by lesson notes that contain updated progress reports, review of lesson, tips and goals for practice to assist in the student's practice throughout the week and keep students on track. Lesson Material Covered Musical Alphabet, Tonal Orientation, Tuning, Right and Left Hand Positions and exercises, Picking and Strumming exercises, Playing Notes on the Neck, Rhythm, Time Signatures, Counting, Basic Musical Intervals (Whole Steps & Half Steps), The Chromatic Musical Alphabet and Scale, The Major Scale, Scale Degrees, Intervals of the Major Scale, Interval Qualities, Keys, Key Signatures, The Circle of Fifths, Chords, Triads, Chord Inversions, Relativity and Determining Chord Quality, Easy Chord Building, Major Scale Triads, Major Scale Modes, Common Chord Progressions, 7th Chords, 9th Chords, 11th Chords, 13th Chords, Bar Chords, Accompaniment, Solos, Phrasing, Chops, Improvisation, Creative Song Writing and More. Beginning to Advanced Lessons For beginning musicians, the first lessons focuses on orientation of the instrument, tuning, basic theory, playing technique, and becoming familiar with basic chords related to song chosen by the student or outlined in book. Depending on difficulty of song chosen, duration of lesson, and amount of time students have for practice, most songs can be accomplished within 2 -3 lessons. Intermediate Lessons , and Advanced Lessons begin with a quick evaluation of knowledge, technique, ability, and any current material or songs the student has been working on to determine a strong jumping off point. Moving At Your Own Pace Kevin provides patient and relaxed music lessons while instilling a perfect balance of challenge that drives the learning process keeping it all passionately fun and exciting. As an educated composer with twenty-seven years of performance and practice experience, Kevin is a goldmine of knowledge for those who seek to know the "What", "Why", and "How" of music. Kevin is also accustomed to strictly focusing on performing for those who want to get playing songs as soon as possible. He has had 10 years of experience teaching both children and adults. Music Theory Lessons, weekly progress and focus: Theory I 1.) Elements of The Music; Staff, Scales, Key Signatures 2.) Intervals 3.) Composition Guidelines and Chords 4.) Duration; Time Signatures 5.) Cadences: Authentic; Half 6.) Cadences; Minor Keys, Picardy Third, Empty Fifth 7.) Part Writing; Single Chords, Repeated Triads, Cadences 8.) Part Writing: Phrase Lengths, Melody Harmonization 9.) Key Board Harmonization 10.) Subdominant Triad 11.) Melodic Line: Period, Sequence 12.) Melodic Line; Intervals, Range, Climax Tone 13.) Transposition; C Clefs 14.) Triad Inversions 15.) Part Writing Inversions 16.) Review of Composition Theory II 1.) Review of Theory I. (2.) Harmonic Progression; Analysis. (3.) Harmonic Progression; Part Writing and Composition Guidelines. (4.) Non-harmonic Tones; Passing, Neighboring Tones. (5.) Non-harmonic; Suspensions. (6.) Non-harmonic Tones; Other Dissonances. (7.) Dominant 7th and Supertonic 7th Chords. (8.) Submediant and Mediant Triads. (9.) Melodic Line. (10.) Keyboard Harmonization. (11.) Dominant and Subtonic Triads. (12.) Harmonic Sequence. (13.) Secondary Dominant Chords. (14.) Modulation Use of Finale Program. (15.) Part Writing Modulations. (16.) Review and Composition Theory III (1.) Review of Theory II. (2,) Modulation Analysis. (3.) Composition; Modulation: Part writing. (4.) Diminished Triad: Analysis. (5.) Diminished Triad Part Writing. (6.) Modulations with Diminished Seventh. (7.) Modulation with Diminished Seventh Part-writing. (8.) Binary and Ternary Forms. (9.) Sonata Form. (10.) Instrumental Part-writing. (11.) Melody Harmonization. (12.) Diatonic Seventh Chords Harmonic Sequence. (13.) Modal Mixture. (14.) Neapolitan Sixth, Augmented Triads. (15.) Augmented Sixth Chords. (16.) Composition Review Theory IV (1.) Review. (2.) A6th Modulations. (3.) A6th Misc. Composition Guidelines. (4.) 9th Chords (5.) 11th & 13th Chords. (6.) Complex Harmonic Progressios. (7.) Romanticism. (8.) Evasion of Tonic (.9) Impressionism. (10.) Quartal Harmony, Modes. (11.) 20th Century Harmony. (12.) Serialism techniques. (13.) Serialism in Composition. (14.) Aleatory, Electronic, Minimalism. (15.) Review and Composition. *** Studio Equipment *** Classical, electric, and acoustic guitars, Piano, Amplifier, Foot Pedals, Library of Lesson Books and sheet music songs and exercises, Recording Studio, Computer, CD Player, Music Stands, Space for Parents, Webcam, "Peace and Quiet" Parent Lounge with coffee and TV. Everything needed to produce the optimal learning environment *** Travel Equipment *** Electric, acoustic, classical guitars, portable grand piano, music book, sheet music, music stands. *** Specialties *** Music Theory and Composition, Rock, Jam-band, Classical Guitar, Improvisation, Bluegrass, versatility in style and genera.