Composition with Oliver E.

Hi, I'm Oliver Edsforth, a professional musician and music teacher current living in Beacon, NY. I currently work as a band teacher in the public school system in addition to teaching private lessons in the evenings. I composed scores for commercials and Unicef, played in the rock bands Arpline and The Kiss Off and recorded for Universal Records with the super group Pure Love. I currently record several styles of music on my own as well as performing live around New York with the post-punk band Cloak. At the end of 2017 I graduated from Hunter College with a Masters in Music Education (preK-12), which included high level conducting at Stuyvesant High School as part of my student teaching. I graduated from NYU in 2005 with a degree in music theory and composition (after completing 2 years as a jazz performance major on saxophone). I've been teaching both piano and music theory lessons since 2006 and have had great success with students. With my vast knowledge of esoteric and popular music genres (I'm comfortable with folk, death metal, modern jazz, indie rock, hip-hop... well, you get the point. I'm a music obsessive) I believe becoming a total musician should be a goal for any student but I enjoy the challenge that each individual brings to the table. *** Lesson Details *** In the past I've tailored lessons based on the specific needs of my students. For example: someone who can read music based on childhood experience, but is struggling to regain confidence, could use technical exercises, piece-learning w/ structure and theory insights, as well as genre work outside their comfort zone. For a total beginner, reading music might be a long haul; so strategies for learning simple tunes and more general theory insights are a must. Curriculum I commonly use for piano/theory includes, Hannon, easier Bach repertoire, Beethoven/Mozart/Chopin/etc,, The Jazz Piano book, Tonal Harmony, This is Your Brain on Music. Because of my extensive relationship with a wealth of texts, I never just rest on my laurels and will find the right material for you (even if that means printing or e-mailing pages from my own collection) I'm a forward thinking, well-rounded musician (music is my life) and I revel in pushing students to max-out their potential, no matter what their experience level happens to be. *** Studio Equipment *** High-end digital stage piano, midi keyboards, music software, guitars, small studio set-up (microphone, interface, etc). *** Specialties *** Very adept at explaining music theory and the dissemination of practical information into piano lessons. The solo piano repertoire from the 18th through late 20th century is another specialty. The students I've had most success with a range from absolute beginners to advanced professionals, but all seem to have a broad range of music interests and curiosity for improvement.