Teaching Approach

Philosophy and Background

I’ve come to understand that the way we think, speak, react, meditate, practice, and perform are all deeply connected. Music is a powerful discipline because it challenges how we engage with these foundational elements that touch every aspect of our lives. 

Practices such as, listening, embodying, and empathizing are essential, not only for developing a deeper connection to the music we study but also for celebrating our humanity. As we integrate music into our daily lives, we begin to see that we’re constantly teaching ourselves.

Every moment demands a choice: yes or no, right or wrong, good or evil. Between the divide of these opposing forces, we uncover the chaotic beauty of expression.

4 Point Approach to Guitar

When learning the guitar, I like to think of these 4 categories to help guide our lessons, and practice.

Exercises - Targets the mind body connection, emphasizing physical adaptations. Simply put, specific repetitive non-musical passages, that allow us to connect to the symphony of small muscles in our hands. Understanding our mechanics to prevent injury, and increase dexterity.

Theory - Is the study of fundamental musical concepts and it's syntax which allow us to abstract sounds we try to reproduce. Simply put, how to read and write music, attaching words to sounds and understanding what they mean.

Repertoire - The collection of music we practice and perform. Growing this collection would include songs and instrumentals. This area includes key concepts such as song structures, melodies, and memorization techniques. Songwriting and arranging are considerations in this area as well.

Technique - Applying theory concepts to our instrument. Building exercises from concepts. Matching sound to execution. Goal of executing with ease. Refining our decision making process in scenarios where your conductor may demand anything. “Play me ____”.

As we discover your abilities, we can budget our time together to focus on your weakness, and leverage your strengths. 

The time in our lessons would often be split up, between these 4 categories.