04/05/07

I began teaching at the age of 10 and continue to this day to teach both privately and also as a professor at Rutgers University for the last 12 years. 

I’ve taught all sorts of students- left brained, right brained, older, younger, professionals and beginners.  I take what each student brings to the table and what they would like to learn and I help them to get at that and also them with what I know they will need. 

I love music and love sharing it.  I want it to be fun and my students are part of my musical family.  My only real criteria for taking on a student is that we get along well, that they are consistent in coming, and that they respect the magic of music. 

After teaching for so many years, I’ve been able to develop very clear ways to explain things.  I’ve been able to see what someone needs and create fun ways to get at that.  Each person is an individual and each lesson is built upon the last one. 

I teach piano, improvisation, theory, technique, rhythm, musicality and composition. I have piano students, vocal students, composition and theory students.  I have professionals on other instruments that want to learn piano.  I have vocalists that want to put together their shows and I can help them do that from soup to nuts- picking out tunes, finding keys, taking things off the records, making nice clear music charts, teaching how the music works and how to deal with a band.   I’ll teach Jazz, blues, classical, beginning piano, pop or whatever kind of music a person likes- because I like most kinds of music. I have taught in class rooms to groups and in clinics as well. 

I know some folks say that teaching is something that folks that can’t play will do. I have always done both and have really felt that both are very important to me. I want each of my students to love what they do musically.  I want it to be an easy feeling to play and have it be something that expresses themselves completely honestly.