Escobar Music Studio

One of my core teaching philosphies is that students are people first, students second. Through the course of the first few lessons, I try to get to know the student as people; other interests, hobbies, etc. I will aslo use this time to assess where a student is so I can build on their previous knowledge if they have any. Regardless of what we do in any lesson, my goal is to have a student sound better or do better in every lesson.

I hold both a Bachelor's and Masters degree:

Bachelors in Music Education from Boise State University where I studied composition, voice and saxophone

Masters in Film Score and Media Music Production

 I have been teaching  for about 12 years as a private teacher as well as with public school groups. I am an active performer and composer; I have worked as a session musician recording saxophone and voice for various film scores and private projects.  I also play in the Wasatch Winds, a concert band based in the American Fork area. I am also an active music composer and producer; I've worked on the music and scores of various films and video games as well as written music for concert band, choir and orchestra.

My rates for all the lesson services I provide is $25 per half hour or $50 per hour. 

I charge my lesson rates by month so in the case of a student taking a 30 minute lesson once a week, it would be $100 a month.

Since I do charge monthly, any months with five weeks in stead of four will have that extra lesson time given to them at no extra charge.

I do charge a travel fee of 10$ per lesson if I'm traveling to a student to do a lesson.

I started teaching my first year of college; I was starting the music education program and I wanted to get a little bit of experience. It just so happend that a couple of my non musician friends wanted to learn how to play music so I started teaching them. Little by little, they got better and I was hooked by the experience!

I work and have worked with all ages and experience types. I have worked with students as young as 6yrs old to adults and students who are just barely learning to sing, play or write to advanced level students. One of my goals as an educator is to foster the love of and the art of doing music, no matter who the student is.

I would give two pieces of advice to students who are hiring a teacher:

Try to find examples of their work- Although a teachers creative work is not necessarily an idicator of how skilled they are as a teacher, it will tell you how good they are as a musician and what they may be able to pass on to you. 

When you decide on a teacher, study with them out for at least a month- A month is a good amount of time to decide if a teacher is right for you or not. You will be able to tell if their teaching style, methods and personality are a match with yours and if they will be able to help you reach your goals. If at the end of that month it isnt the right fit don't be afraid to move on and try and find another teacher who will work for you. 

There are a few question students should ask themsleves before talking to their teachers:

Why do I want to take lessons?

What are my goals when it comes to lessons?

Do I have a specific skill I want to work on?

Am I able to commit to doing what my teacher asks me to do?

These are a few questions to think through but in all cases don't be afraid to talk openly and candidly about what you need even if you are not fully sure of what you need. I firmly believe an educator is there to help YOU learn not to just teach material.