RANDY L. Teacher / Musician / Producer Are you an adult who always wished you could play or sing? Or a homeschooler who wishes you had music for your child? Do you wish you or your child could just sit down and play the music you feel? Old boring piano methods? No way. You shouldn't have to learn like this. Come and see what fun learning music can be! Is fear or uncertainty stopping you from playing in front of others? Have you written some great song lyrics and just need help with the music? Do you live far away from a good selection of teachers? Maybe we should be talking. Change the way you listen. Find your own voice! We make it easy to study online, from anywhere in the world. Children don't learn to read before they can talk. So why should anyone have to try to read before they play or sing? That is how music has been taught for many years, and one reason why many students just quit or had a miserable time with piano lessons. Music should be fun. Period. We use music to help you find your own voice. When you find your voice, the rest of you is not far behind. We help people to overcome any fears they may have about playing. We simply help you to find your confidence. Many people are afraid to express themselves because of negative comments from a family member or friend. We help you move far past that and get to your own voice, free of worries. Here is my motto: Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. It has been said that playing only from sheet music is like only being able to talk when you are reading it from a book. We help people to play and sing by ear. Yes, learning to read music brings you wonderful music from some great composers. But there is so much more. SONGWRITERS: If you write songs, just bring in an idea and we will record it. We set a tempo and a key, and get your basic groove looped, all in about two minutes. Then we lay down the chords and a bass part and you sing a reference vocal. You can easily lay out a song in a one-hour session. Then it is easy to see how to produce it. It is amazing to complete a recording of your song that did not exist in the world until you gave it a voice! Along the way, you become a better writer, singer and/or keyboard player. You will learn to play by ear. And have a LOT of fun. You can do this online too. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “...an amazing instructor...inspiring mentor...compassionate.” “...a lot of patience.” “My son's love for music has come from Randy.” “...positive attitude and friendly personality.” “...wildly entertaining.” “ ...will teach you in a way that will make you want to learn.” “We look forward to our lesson every week!” "Randy, I like your teaching method. It's applying knowledge with fun, and common sense... the best combination. Good luck. You’re a great musician." Joe Messina, Motown recording guitarist & Funk Brother We use recording as a powerful tool to help you listen and improve. Tired of crummy tabs? Struggling to capture your song? No worries. Learn a process, instead of a lesson. Apply it anywhere. Go from musical idea to music, fast. Get to the groove in 2 minutes or less. In any software. The antidote to rote. SCHEDULING: Please note: If the particular time you had in mind is listed as unavailable, don’t worry. I am very flexible and will work hard to make our schedules click. SPECIAL NEEDS? Everyone's needs are special. If your child has been diagnosed ADHD or ASD, music can be a joyful and rewarding way to see real growth and make a wonderful experience for parent and child. PLAYING BY EAR Pretty much everyone can play by ear. So we help you to find your own voice, reach your musical goals and to create and perform music as a real and beautiful part of your life. Making music should not be a boring job. Rather, it should be something you can't wait to do. A way to get in touch with the rest of the universe. You will also learn to read and write, but it won't get in the way of your music. MY BACKGROUND Since a very young age I have loved to improvise and to create music. It is very satisfying to pass this on to others who are full of music inside but may not know how to get it out. If you wish that you or your child could get some help creating your own music as well as playing the great music already written, perhaps we should be talking. I am from Canada, and I have been a professional musician since 1970. I studied music performance in school, piano with the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and Music Education at Queens University. I have toured with national acts, (Temptations, Contours, Mary Wells and more) produced dozens of recordings of all kinds and played, arranged and conducted music on cruise ships all over the world. Music is my life. Bringing other people's skills to a higher level is what I do best. My Method: Listen, Sing, Clap, Play, Read and Write. With these tools you can look deeper into the elements that make up music. Folk, jazz, pop, rock or classical; all Western music is derived from the same principles. We will study ear training from a wonderful ear training book by a famous guitarist. It is simple: you learn all the theory so you will be at the top of your game, but always have fun doing it. For notation, we will use The Note Speller. For scales, we have the famous Brown Scale Book. The Big Picture In the old days, only a tiny percentage of students would become a concert pianist. Today, there are a multitude of other ways to become involved with music. Whether you are looking at music as a profession or as a hobby, we let parents know of the many choices available so that they can help their children make good decisions. Having fun as you improve is a big priority. I also teach songwriting, singing, music recording and performance, and Logic skills as well as piano. Remember: A piano should be an irresistible invitation, not an obstacle. *** Specialties *** Adults who always wanted to. Homeschoolers who are frustrated. Kids who just love music. My youngest student is 4 and my oldest student was 100 when he recorded an album of songs from the 1920s!) I teach people of all ages first to play by ear and to have fun while they study. Then I back up ear training with solid theory so they can read and write music. Here's to a most satisfying musical experience! Kind regards, Randy