San Antonio Music Lessons

ast San Antonio, Selma, Schertz, Live Oak, Universal City, Cibolo, Bracken, Garden Ridge, Converse, Marion, Seguin and New Braunfels.

*** Lesson Details ***
For my younger guitar students, I use the Progressive Guitar Method for Young Beginners series. This book includes a CD to help the student practice at home. For my older guitar students I use a progressive guitar curriculum of my own creation.

For my voice students I use Pathways of Song, Hall Johnson Spirituals, 24 Italian Songs and Arias, Alfred's Folk Songs for Solo Singers, Carl Fisher's The Young Singer series as well as song materials based upon the student's personal interests, such as arts songs and Broadway show tunes.

For my piano students I use the Piano Adventures series by Nancy and Randall Faber and the Alfred Piano Series. Music reading, ear training and theory is part of my instruction. With daily practice you will see a noticeable improvement in musicianship, aural skills and music-reading ability.

I am also an experienced tutor. I have worked with students of all ages and with various learning differences. I have tutored students in reading, writing, math, social studies, ESL and test preparation.

Through online instruction, I am available around the clock and around the globe for tutoring and music lessons.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Piano, classical and folk guitars
My home studio has glass doors through which one may observe the lesson.

*** Travel Equipment ***
2 guitars

*** Specialties ***
Classical guitar, operatic singing, folksongs, spirituals, music reading, solfege, ear training and sight-singing

tor, Students take the Texas Music Teachers Association Music Theory Test every year.

d chord charts.Pick and fingerstyle techniques,Improvisation and playing by ear.
NEW!!!! HOW TO PLAY LIKE!!!!
Break down songs and techniques into easily digestible chunks. Individual segments are played slowly first,then brought to speed.
You'll find you're learning and improving faster than you ever believed possible.
CLASSIC ROCK: From Aerosmith to ZZTOP.
GUITAR HEROES:From Randy Rhoads to Yngwie Malmsteen
TEXAS COUNTRY: From Randy Rogers to Charlie Robinson.
TEXAS BLUES: From Freddie King to Stevie Ray Vaughan.
METAL GUITAR: CLASSIC 70's to Today's Heroes
PROGRESSIVE ROCK-METAL: From Dream Theater to Periphery..
CLASSICAL GUITAR: From Bach to Vivaldi.
And many more Styles, send me a question and ask about your personal music choice.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Located in Specious one room of a three bedroom condo, Marshall amps ,Martin,Taylor Jackson, Dean, ESP,Takamine, Epiphone and Ovation guitars, use a plasma TV, guitar pro software, keyboards, recording softwear.

*** Travel Equipment ***
Guitar and amps. books.
Student: metronome and tuner.

*** Specialties ***
Finger Picking Techniques,MusicTheory and How to get a good sound with your guitar.

mance practice, etc. (making such lessons comprehensive)

*** Studio Equipment ***
Everyone needs their own instrument. In my studio, I have to keyboards side-by-side so that the student can both see and hear what I am teaching without ever swapping seats. As for percussion, my practice pad station serves for warm-up rudiments, whereas I have 2 drum-sets facing each other so that again, students can both see & hear what I am doing without needing to spend lesson time switching seats. For all other instruments, I recommend buying new for any brand that is not among the top 3 brands for that instrument...this ensures a working instrument in which to learn from and practice on without necessarily spending top dollar.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I always bring my instrument, metronome, tuner, music stand and stand for my instrument, including lesson materials and supplies.

*** Specialties ***
All genres, all styles & all cultures! I teach students of all ages--mostly at my home studio, but I also travel to students' homes, churches, and, as an alternative during the Summer only, I am willing to meet with students in the Practice Rooms in the Fine Arts Building at UTSA.

pts and materials taken from the master teacher, Suzuki. From studying his philosophy and principals through research, I have found the Suzuki method to be a very holistic and "easy-to-understand" teaching method for young ages.

For adult students, I have found success teaching a curriculum that just lets you play music and develop a love for your instrument. I mainly teach adults using lots of music from pop tunes, holiday music, fiddle and Americana music. My curriculum for adults is more about making music and less about playing scales and etudes, although focus on technique is integrated within the type of music books we use.

I also teach high school, middle school and elementary school students all instruments, violin, viola, and cello.
Students excel at a very high level with my training. This group will be asked to study music in the classical training method with scales, etudes, and standard classical repertoire, and help with their school orchestra music. Please inquire about training for this age group in person.

*** Lesson Details ***
Beginner lessons are great fun! Watch how the instrument turns into clay that molds to your hand, your musical talent. I love to see the amazement in the student when they realize playing a musical instrument is not as difficult as it may look. Each subsequent lesson is a building process, building upon the foundation from the previous lesson. It is imperative that students practice! Practice whenever you get a chance, even a little bit goes a long way. Pick up the violin for ten minutes while you wait for the meal to cook in the evening or waiting for the laundry to finish. Then, find some time to sit quietly in a comfortable space and focus just on the tone and quality of your playing.

*** Studio Equipment ***
My home studio.

*** Specialties ***
I also hold a yearly spring recital to allow my students to perform, all ages included. This is always great fun and very rewarding! Plus, I'm really excited about my adult students, who are "up and coming" artists! I'm looking to start an adult ensemble for a separate recital to showcase their hard work and enjoyment of playing for the sake of playing a musical instrument! Please inquire about the adult group, even if you have just a little bit of interest in learning the fantastic violin, viola, cello, or piano! It is great fun!

niversity as an academic coach. In this role, I helped students process concerns and create goals regarding developing time management skills, coping strategies for anxiety, study skills, information processing and motivation. These experiences have helped me gain a continually growing understanding of facilitating the learning process with individuals and with groups.

I teach student development classes (critical thinking, motivation theory, study strategies, time management, stress management, etc.) at a local community college, I teach an upper-level learning and development course (views of learning, motivation, the memory process, memory strategies, critical issues in education, etc.) at a local university, and I work as an academic coach at another local university.

As the information above may suggest, I hold education to such a high, passionate regard. It is what promotes a healthy, well-informed society. As an auto-didactic learner, I believe that everyone has the ability to learn anything one desires. It is a matter of how one approaches it. Therefore, my approach is one that is peculiar to each of the individuals I work with.

I present concepts with the idea that the combination of experience, discourse, and meaning-making is the key to learning. This aside from my teaching tools based on the views of learning. With an aversion towards cookie-cutter approaches, I maintain an open mind to my invariably evolving approach of sharing knowledge and insight with others. This comes with my continual seeking of growth in the art of teaching with consideration of the process of learning. Further, I strive to create a warm, positive atmosphere that allows one to feel comfortable with making mistakes, with making progress and with being themselves. Fundamentally, this is my approach to working with people.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COACHING: Using my insight gained as a counseling student, I am happy to offer my personal development coaching service. In this role, I help individuals develop their path of change, making sure motivation and focus is well-maintained. I provide a judgment-free and understanding atmosphere for one to reflect and process concerns as well as work towards making personal changes (e.g. self-actualization, career, anxiety management, lifestyle, life changes) from an existential perspective. I believe that such a space should be available for everyone, so I am especially happy to provide it.

My approach to personal development coaching is based on my therapeutic orientation called Gestalt Therapy (GT). The underlying idea of GT is that awareness is the key initiator of change. Awareness allows one to discern where such things as anxiety, unhappiness, ambivalence, etc. stem from. I believe that it is important for every human being to go through such a process so that peace and awareness within brings peace and awareness to the outer world. I am inspired by and influenced by the ideas of Carl Jung (Analytical Psychology- particularly the Psychological Types) and Carl Rogers (Client-Centered Therapy). I help facilitate the process in a genuinely humane, empathic and professional manner. If interested, please, see the details I have provided under Life Coaching. I work with grade school students and adults. I am absolutely loyal to the idea of confidentiality; therefore, I ensure that information of anybody I work with is not at risk of being shared with a third party.

ACADEMIC COACHING/STUDY SKILLS: Using my passion for education and my insight gained in my few years (so far) immersed in the world of education, I help students (grade school and college) develop areas of their academic life needing improvement. As suggested above, I help students develop time management, learning strategies, coping strategies for anxiety, and motivation (i.e. help them to see the value of learning). Though it is a valuable tool, it is presently not a service that is offered at most schools in the area.

WRITING: As a lover of reading and writing, I understand the value of expressing thoughts, feelings and ideas. As a writer, my focus is on creative writing (mostly short stories presently) and essays. Given my undergraduate and postgraduate experiences, I have written many academic papers, in APA format and in MLA format. I edit and revise papers as well as help individuals develop their writing voice, develop their ideas, develop an approach to structuring writing, maintain consistency with writing and provide genuine feedback. Beyond that, my help with writing is limited to the goals of the the individual.

TWO IMPORTANT THINGS: I strive to maintain a positive collaboration with those I work with. I believe this is one of the most important parts of the process. Also, I promote the idea of Soul. To me, Soul is any sincere display of passion. With Soul, we perform in a most genuine and graceful way. I personally believe that whether one is playing the piano, writing a story, living life, singing, giving a speech or anything (necessarily peaceful), one should do it with Soul.

LASTLY, I am open to: Going beyond my travel radius, at an agreed-upon adjusted rate; working with multiple students, at an agreed-upon adjusted rate; meeting at a public place that is convenient, if it is preferred; and meeting at a student's location, depending on the preferred time and the distance.

I mentioned everything that is above so that it may be known and understood. Feel free to send me a message if you have questions about any of the services I provide, my approach or anything!

PEACE BE WITHIN YOU

ilosophy on teaching is a bit different than most others. I believe that developing your own style whilst learning is key to maintaining passion, discipline and progress in your playing. And maintaining these three things is the best (and only, if you ask me) way to maintain a life-long love for music and make sure that you never grow tired of it.

Identifying your influences (and their influences) and pinpointing exactly what techniques, sounds, theory and styles they use is very focal to my approach. Inside the focal point of identifying your influences, their influences, and learning the riffs, solos and licks that personify their playing and style, we will be studying their tone, vibrato, phrasing, chord progression, techniques and other aspects of their playing to identify what exactly about their playing is what drives you and makes you want to be a better guitar player. It will also help you to learn the instrument in general.

Early in your playing, we will keep it simple. We will hover around the basics in your influences, and through learning some of their more iconic riffs, we'll learn your basic chords and scales. But as you progress, we will then develop these aspects that you enjoy in others, and begin to apply them to your playing to develop your own style. We will get more into technical aspects of the guitar and deeper into music theory.

This all, of course, will be catered exactly to who you are, what you want, (your goals as a player) your improvement and how your style is developing. Come with me on this musical journey of developing your guitar playing, and you will not be disappointed! Thanks!