Backbeat Music Academy

Backbeat Music Academy

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*** We feature Try Everything Classes and Lessons, where students get to learn the basics of many instruments. Lessons are custom, and classes are for 4-6, 6-9, 8-12, 12-16, 13+) Custom classes also available. ***

Backbeat's goal is to devleop students that make the music they want to, how they want to, because they want to.

Music isn't about the notes you play, it is about people and the connection you create. We also know that the hard thing about playing music isn't actually the playing, its knowing what you need to know and how to figure it out.

Our low-pressure, fuin, exploratory environment is designed to help students figure out how to learn the mechanics of music so they can make the music they want.

Every student is unique, so every class is custom-tailored to the needs of that student, but usually, we take a Montesorri-type approach where students get to follow what they are interested in. Every teacher is a multi-instrumentalist, and most teachers can teach 10+ instruments, at least to the intermediate level.


Highlights

10 employees
Serves Beaverton , OR

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    Frequently asked questions

    First: Get to know the student and ho they learn, and what they'd like to learn. Often we start right away working on the skills that will get them where they want to go. 

    Typically initial lessons are spent on working in outlook - how they student should be looking at music and the learning process, what they should be paying attention to and what they shouldn't care about. 

    Playing music with others is built into every lesson, and teachers jam with students in most every lesson as they work out and learn to apply their new skills to making music and learning songs. Whenever possible, we get students to jam with each other and we have band classes where students can play songs with others.  





     

    Extensive. I have a Masters in education, and a BS in Music, Psychology and Biology. I've written several books on music and those are being translated into 3 other languages. I write for DRUM! Magazine and Computer Music Magazine.  

    Don't let me resume scare you, though! Beginners are some of my favorite students to teach. No experience necessary, and I won't push you to be the best musicna out there. I just want you to take music on your terms and have fun. :) 

    100/month for band classes

    130/month for weekly half-hour private lessons (4-5 per month)

    230/month for weekly hour-long private lessons (4-5 per month)

    Discount for both being in a band and private lessons.  

    It came naturally - my dad has a Ph.D in Science Education and won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Science Teacher's Association when he retired. 

    All types - I love beginners but I have also taught profesionals - even Grammy-Winners. 

    Today, I had a very young ukulele student who figured out he misunderstood how to fret: He was pushing into the fretboard. When he realized he only had to push the string, that he had been working too hard, he smilled a big smile and was relieved - he had been stressed, feeling like he was working as hard as he could and wasn't able to get the results he wanted. Now, he sees that by changing his approach a little, he'll be able to play better without working so hard. 

    Those kinds of moments are my favorite! 

    Teaching and playing are not the same thing. Some teachers are great at teaching but can't play well. Some players are great at playing, but don't know how to teach. 

    I can't tell you how many teachers have applied to work at my school who couldn't do either. 

    Read the recent memory above: Someone who doesn't know how to teach won't know to look at how the student was feeling or what they were doing wrong: The student's hard were in the right place, and it wasn't clear why he wasn't playing correctly. A bad teacher wouldn't know what the student was doing wrong, and if they did, they wouldn't be able to explain it clearly. they wouldn't understand how the student was feeling, and would like give bad advice: increasing the student's frustration and making them feel like a failure - like they just don't have what it takes to play music. 

    Also, they might not care what the student wants to do, instead, trying to mold the student into their own vision of a musician. 

    Oi!  I could go on and on about common teacher mistakes. I could type for hours about this. This is why I take great care in who I hire and then take the time to personally train them. 







    Services offered

    Guitar
    Piano
    Singing
    Drum
    Violin
    Bass Guitar
    Cello
    Music Theory
    Djembe
    Organ
    Audio Production
    Synthesizer
    Xylophone
    Marimba