
I've been a professional musician since I was 14: whether it was rock, jazz, R&B, latin, reggae, hip hop, country, gospel, or even showtunes, my answer was always "yes!" This versatility has helped me develop a holistic approach to music, which allows me to go into any musical situation with confidence and poise- and I can share that with students.
My goal is to show my students not just how to play an instrument, but how to get in the mindset of being a musical person so that they too, can contribute musical ideas in any setting, challenge themselves to grow independently, and ultimately understand the music they love.
I love the lightbulb moment when a student really understands something they've been struggling with, though the biggest thing I look for is whether they sound better than the last time I saw them- that's the daily/weekly goal for all of us at every level.
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He is great. My granddaughter loves going
He was great with Jaden. Very relaxed she loved her first lesson
Really good with my 7 year old. Very patient.I feel like it was a very good choice going to Max
Max is one of the most if not the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to all things and everything music. From his outstanding musicality to his explanations of concepts relating to music and theory, he is the guy to learn from if you are looking to excel as a musician.
I always start by figuring out what the student likes: I want them to enjoy what we're working on, so I use music they're familiar with to introduce new concepts they might not understand yet.
I've also developed a graduated curriculum to work from, which covers essential technical, critical thinking, and performance skills for everyone from absolute beginners music majors in college.
I do this thing for real!
On paper, I attended OSU's Jazz Studies program, but I consider my real alma matter to be the stage, which I've been very fortunate to share with colleagues of legends such as Miles Davis, Prince, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Merle Haggard, and many more, as well as contemporary artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Kirk Franklin, and Justin Bieber.
In other words: I've done my 10,000 hours in REALLY good company.
I charge monthly for a weekly lesson. If a student has different needs we can work together to accomodate them.
I kind of fell into it- I come from a family of professors so I've always been very curious and quick to figure out processes for learning new things. Once I got serious about music I became the bandmember who coached people along and helped them figure out their parts.
In high school I ended up being a counselor at a music camp I had attended in middle school, which got me into directly teaching younger kids rather than only playing with my seniors and contemporaries.
First, make sure they sound good: compare their playing to the records you like. Is the teacher as skilled as the people you admire? Do they know anything about the music you like? This is important because if your teacher can't perform at a high level, how do you expect them to help you get there?
Second, make sure you enjoy their company. You'll be spending a decent amount of time around them and they'll be giving you feedback, so it won't be fun if you don't get along on a personal level.
Third, ask them: "If we're in the key of Ab, what would the chords be in this progression: 3 6 2 5 1 4, with a minor 2 5 to dominant 6?" If they don't respond with something along the lines of: "Cmi Fmi Bbmi Eb7 Ab Db, then Gmi7b5 and C7alt to F7." in about the amount of time it took to read this paragraph, you may want to look elsewhere- that's an easy question for most professional musicians!
Really consider the music you like and what elements attract you- it's important to understand why you like what you like and have an idea of what you want to learn.
It's also important to remember that there's a ton of free information readily available to anyone- you and your potential teacher both have limited, valuable time, so consider whether it's a wise investment and if it is, make sure you utilize it to its fullest.
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