Music Theory with Timothy D.

My name is Tim D. I am 27 years old and have a life long Musical devotion. I started playing the piano and drums at around 5 yrs of age. My grandfather was my main teacher as he was a working musician himself in traveling bands. When I was in junior high school I started to attend Settlement School of Music and studied there throughout my early teenage years. I served in the US army for four years and was able to use those benefits to pay for schooling when I got out. Now I am a double major in Music Education and Theory at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance. I am currently studying piano under Dr Yanovitsky there at Temple also as my major is piano concentrated. I am looking to build my teaching resume and work with some motivated students and give them my inspiration and influence. *** Lesson Details *** Depending on the student, I will determine the type of teaching style that I will need to incorporate whether it be a disciplined or laid back style. Some students will show that they are motivated by working on the material given and having it prepared for the next lesson. After about a month of good productivity, I will see that I do not need to be as strict as the students that seem less interested. This will decide the way I go about making progress with a pupil. My teaching strategy starts with the student. I will ask them what they know, what they want to know, what types of music they like, and what types of music they want to play. With that being said there are some rudimentary attributes that need to be ingrained in a students musical mind. Some of these are note identification, identifying intervals, correct fingering for scales, hand and finger positioning, and good posture. I believe that starting a student out correctly can be a great step towards avoiding "bad habits" in piano playing which are very hard to stop once learned. We will start out with certain material that will be ideal for the student. This will of course be determined after the findings of where the student needs to be started. After about 3 to 6 months, a determined beginner will have a strong foundation that will be used to develop he or she into an exceptional musician. I believe in not only teaching notes on the keyboard but understanding music theory in general. For instance I may ask the student to sing the notes in a melody or even clap the rhythm so that there is no question in their mind of the musical language. It is important to get the student to understand rhythm and meter which are some of the building grounds of music theory. What I want in my students is for them to be well rounded musicians. *** Travel Equipment *** expect students to provide some type of keyboard *** Specialties *** I simply inquire and carry on the methods that I have been taught through out the years. I teach a variety of styles from Mozart to Ray Charles.