About
I love music. All music. Playing and teaching music is more rewarding than anything I've done or can imagine. I believe in the power of music to improve our lives and make us happier, more intelligent, more connected, and able to think more rationally and creatively. It helps us solve problems, connect, and enjoy life more fully. It makes us better people.
I also believe that working musicians and music students all have the same goal: to play beautiful music beautifully. To reach that goal, we must forge our paths through the vast body of Western music literature from many eras and styles and absorb the best techniques and practices that our great musical ancestors and contemporaries developed for us.
We need both the guidance of great composers and pedagogues, past and present, AND the "ear" and individual evaluation, advice, and counseling of a sensitive and astute teacher. The presence of another's trained "ear" enhances and changes how we hear. This cannot be fully obtained from online videos and/or self-teaching from randomly selected books.
My experience and training have taught me that many approaches to teaching and learning can lead to the same result: excellence in playing, musicianship, and solid knowledge of music theory, history, and literature. So, I don't push everyone into one favorite method. Instead, I develop individualized programs depending upon each student's age, goals, experiences, learning styles/strategies, strengths, and needs, using whatever method best "speaks" to each student.
As my student, you can trust me to:
1. Have a "good ear" and excellent musical sensibilities to evaluate your playing, guide your musical and technical development, and assure that you make constant improvement and do not incur playing injuries;
2. Know the correct techniques for playing anything with ease and without tension;
3. Have a thorough knowledge of music history, theory, form, and style;
4. Teach you how to practice effectively and efficiently;
5. Develop the right plan for progress, choosing the right pieces and exercises to ensure you'll enjoy practice and become the best musician you can be at every step. And,
6. Teach you how to perform.
Highlights
Payment methods
Details
Years experience
Able to read music
Lesson length
Student's age
Student has instrument
Interested musical styles
Photos and videos
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
2. If they've had lessons or been playing already, I ask for a demonstration and a list of things they've worked on and/or performed.
3. I ask them to sightread something a few levels below their level of playing and reading (if they read).
4. I begin putting together a starting, individualized plan the first week or weeks, by assigning scale, chord, inversion, cadence, and arpeggios assignments in whole or in part based on their skill level, and provide starter copies until they can order music.
5. I explain/demonstrate/have them execute, then assign daily technical exercises (developed by John Perry).
6. Then, I provide basic points on how to practice efficiently and effectively. I also cover how to plan and structure practice, providing a general outline.
7. I assign certain video series or readings about posture, movement, and the body related to playing the instrument. I also discuss relaxation and injury prevention, calling attention to the usual tension points.
8. If there’s time, I discuss and provide information about how the brain remembers music, the actions necessary to make it on the instrument, and how to train it so that mindless repetition (usually fraught with errors) simplifies learning and saves countless hours of practice time.
This process is shortened and modified for children.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I chose NAU specifically to study violin with the highly regarded pedagogue Dr. Louise Scott (a student of Galamian, Gingold, and Miriam Fried. I also received extensive teacher training under Dr. Scott in the well-known Suzuki program at NAU.
I taught Suzuki violin private lessons and group classes in the Suzuki program, as well as at the University Preparatory School to students ages 3 to 50, and taught 4-5 taught traditional piano students at home.
I've played in several orchestras, including the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and served as music librarian for FSO and the NAU Orchestra.
As the Graduate Accompanist, I accompanied vocal, brass, and string students each semester, practiced with them, attended their weekly lessons, rehearsals, and master classes, and later performed in all their recitals.
I've studied violin privately for six (6) years with Newt Gilbeau, Kathie Jarrett, Norma Lewis Davidson, Joseph Kim, and Dr. Louise Scott.
I studied piano privately for 11 years with Irma Greve Kluck, Dr. George Robert, Dr. Gregory Allen, Dr. Steven Hall, Ronald Grinage, and Dr. David Scott.
Orchestras: In addition to school and college orchestras, I've played in various local and regional orchestras, including The Wire Choir in Odessa, Texas, Albuquerque Youth Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Roswell Symphony Orchestra, and Lakeland Symphony Orchestra (Florida).
I've been fortunate enough to perform in at least seven (7) states. I've played at Disneyland and in magnificent concert halls in Vienna, Budapest, Prague, and various venues in New Mexico. Arizona, Louisiana, Florida, and Kansas. I've also given private solo recitals on piano, violin, or both.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$63/60min * $52/45 min * $41/30 min
30-minute lessons are only for students up to 8 years old. Length is determined by attention span. Ask about 15-minute lessons for 3-5 year olds.
ANNUAL AVERAGE-BASED BILLING:
I bill for a 47-week year. You don't pay for five [5] vacation weeks, whether you take those weeks off or not.
You are BILLED IN ADVANCE for the following month.
Payment is due before the 1st or each month or late fees apply.
These totals vary with local taxes:
30 min = $170/mo * 45 min = $219/mo * 60 min = $267/mo
PLUS: As a beginner, you can expect to spend around $45+ initially for music books and a planner, with ongoing periodic costs.
I use numerous online free and subscription music sites to provide listening assignments and suggestions. You do not need to subscribe to all of them.
How did you get started teaching?
Mom used an interdisciplinary Humanities approach, incorporating the arts, history, and the classics into her lessons, and I can't help but do the same in my teaching. She taught me that the arts and humanities are necessary to understand better our amazing world and that education is the foundation of reason, achievement, and life fulfillment. My mother is ever my inspiration.
What types of students have you worked with?
Some of my former students have gone on to study music in college and/or developed careers in music theater, as church musicians, in orchestras, and as professional studio musicians. Others became living room aficionados who play for personal enjoyment.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
And Willy Nelson had a 90th Birthday Concert in 2023. If that doesn't inspire you, nothing will!
Then there was this amazing audience member/conductor in a kilt: https://bit.ly/4at9FXF
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
"If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you." ~ Zig Zigler
Also, consider that not every "teacher" on YouTube is qualified or capable. Too many give terrible advice and instruction and demonstrate truly awful techniques that will impede and even harm you in the end. It can take ten times more time to "unlearn" a bad technique than learning it. There are no quick shortcuts.
Hire a well-trained teacher who inspires and motivates you to do your best, effectively communicates concepts and demonstrates actions, and cares about your artistic and personal development. They will take the time you need while keeping to a plan of progress and will teach you the inner discipline it takes to consistently progress, pursue advanced studies if that's your desire, and continue playing without injury for a lifetime.
Whether you dedicate yourself to becoming a professional performer, a part-time amateur, or a living room player, you are committing to study for a period of years. There is no quick route, so pick someone you think you can get along with once a week for at least a year -- or several years. Pick someone you can trust with your thoughts and insecurities, whom you like and respect, who will be honest with you and push you to do your very best. And choose someone with a good sense of humor! Learning and playing music brings great joy. Plus, we need to laugh as much as we can.
"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready...the teacher will disappear." -- Tao Te Ching
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What is the approximate length of your child's focused attention span?
What sparked their interest in music and the piano or violin?
What types of music do they already like/dislike?
What is their learning style?
Do they want to read books? Are they a good reader?
Will you have the time to help them through this journey, attend lessons, structure daily uninterrupted practice time, and assist them with practice if needed?
Can you expose them to live music occasionally, especially Classical music?
What music or pieces instantly grab and hold their attention?
Is your entire family willing to respect their need for quiet, uninterrupted practice?
When are they most alert and receptive, and can you schedule lessons and practice at those times?
Can you provide them with an instrument in good shape and maintain it with tunings or strings, repairs, and more?
Can they practice six days a week, uninterrupted?
For adult students, all of the above and:
How do you think you learn best? Why?
How would you describe your learning strategies?
For all students:
Which styles, periods of music, or composers do you like the most? e.g., 1930s popular music, Beethoven symphonies, 70s Rock, Bach and Baroque, Bebop, early 20th C. bluegrass, Romantic music, hip hop, film scores, etc.
What about that particular type of music do you like the most?
What/who are your specific favorite songs, instruments, pieces, composers, and performers? Why?
Which pieces/songs do you want to learn to play eventually?
Do you like to read books? Are you a good reader? An okay reader?
Do you like math, history, science, tech, film, art, bird watching, anthropology, or law?
What and who inspires you?
What will be most challenging or interfere the most with your practicing consistently?
What made you pick this instrument?
Do/did you like school? What is/was your favorite subject in school?
Who is/was your favorite teacher, and why?
Will you agree to practice every day? How will you ensure that you can do this daily, every week? Will you need help from family or friends?
What are your musical goals?
Who do you know who is also taking music lessons?
What are your life goals?
What motivates you?