Music House

My approach is devoted to meeting students where they are and sprouting music learning from there. I always invite a new student to decide whether to start right with one instrument or explore the environment. They may do either on their own or ask for guidance.  Allowing students a say in their learning ensures that the experience will be meaningful, and that they will have ownership of their own learning, At some point during the first session I invite the student to the piano, where they begin learning to play by ear. Discovering that you have the ability to figure out a song by ear is one of the most empowering musical experiences a learner can have, and one that will set them on a path to confidence and competence.

My career as a music educator, along with a parallel one as a professional violinist, has spanned over twenty years and two continents. I have composed, written and published songs, plays and stories. My current book "Music House" has served as a guide for music educators, and my latest music-related publication is "Sing It! A Biography of Pete Seeger."  I hold a Masters degree from Goddard College. 

Half hour: $60

45 minutes: $80

One hour: $100

I began teaching simply because I wanted children to know that learning  music could be fascintating, relevant, soul-feeding, and incredibly fun. 

Music House began in 2000 when a dad at the Little Red School House where I was teaching came to me in despair becasue his son wanted to quit his piano lessons. I knew that his child was extremely musical, so I offered to try a different approach and see if it could turn things around. It  did, and I realized that a personalized, holistic approach could transform the music lesson. This has ben my musical path ever since.

I have worked with students of every musical persuasion and circumstance, from children with no musical background to advanced performers who want to better understand how music works (beyond only playing their instrument); adults who dropped out of childhood lessons convinced they were musically hopeless (They aren't!).  Some of my students want to focus on one instrument, others prefer to experiment with several. I've worked with individuals who learn music through a passion for improvisation, conducting, songwriting, accompanying, music theory, experimenting with sound, learning music history. Everyone has a musical spark and we are all musical in different ways!

Try to find a teacher who can be flexible enough to mold your learning to who you are, what you are ready for, and what interests you.

Students and, probably, their parents, should try to find out whether a teacher rigidly adheres to doing certain things a certain way in a certain order, or whether the teacher is willing to incorporate what the student may want, for example, exploration, ear training, creativity.