Amber's Private Studio

Although lessons are not a necessity for talented individuals, they help guide young performers in the right direction and build connections early on in their careers. Lessons may not be essential, but having mentors is vital for a growing artist. There’s something powerful about learning from someone you look up to and the impact it leaves behind is something a musician can never forget. Even though I was self taught in the start, I learned things I could’ve never taught myself when I had my first private lesson. I would’ve never had the guidance that was necessary to grow as a musician, nor the knowledge that motivated me to keep learning without these mentors.

I had my first private lesson a week before my first semester at Berklee College of Music. Although I had already been playing for six years, I needed guidance and experience. I was taught by Paul Nedzela from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in New York City. Learning from someone like him not only changed my perspective on playing, but it also taught me about the industry. Learning from someone like him gave me connections and being able to have a lesson with someone I’ve looked up to for years made it even more special. Over the years, every teacher I’ve had, regardless of how nice or mean they were, each one left an important impact on me that is a part of why I’m successful. I’m grateful for the caring teachers, who taught me passion, motivation, and elegance; however, I’m also grateful for the strict teachers, who taught me responsibility, confidence, and emotion. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that all the ugly moments of being a student will always be outweighed by the positive outcomes. With this knowledge I’ve acquired over the years, I’ve taken all my experiences as a student and incorporated them into my teaching philosophies.

I believe in starting from the bottom up. As a tutor, I teach all my students essential music theory so they can begin learning improvisation at the start. Although improvisation is mostly common in specific genres, I, as a teacher, believe that improvisation is vital for artist expression and should begin during the fundamental stages of playing. Being self taught during my fundamental stages, I wouldn’t have learned without improvising. Along with improvisation, I believe it’s essential for my students to speak with their soul. Establishing an independent sound is vital to being a successful musician - in other words, successful musicians must stand out. Connecting emotions to notes will tell a unique story - one that will make a player stand out. A musician must be able to access those emotions while playing, so care and compassion is an important factor for me when teaching; however, also being strict will teach my students responsibility and push them towards getting better. Using music theory will get my students ahead when they start to blossom into more experienced intermediate players. I educate by combining spiritualism and self expression with music theory and fundamentals. This, in my opinion, creates a strong foundation for a talented individual to independently grow upon.