About Me:ShowI believe in an eclectic, flexible yet comprehensive teaching method that focuses on musical enjoyment and improvisation from the beginning steps. Each lesson I teach is completely different. I encourage music reading through playing and simple steps, but will challenge students who progress quickly. I believe that music is about expression and enrichment and that constant listening and self-analysis is important. I provide set lesson plans, which we write in a book weekly for record keeping, but depend on each student for input on overall direction, as well as equal voice in discovering and solving musical issues. I also focus on material that students are comfortable with and use that as a foundation to learn other concepts that might seem intimidating at first. This helps to build not only a solid technical foundation, but the self confidence in playing from the first lessons that makes a great improviser/composer, minimizes performance anxiety, and liberates creative impulse. Even beginning students will play along to music, work on some basic fill writing, and eventually learn to transcribe drum parts. Students learn the basics along with some playing by ear, which can come from material and albums that the student selects. I also have experience working with special needs students (ADD, autism, cerebral palsy), and have a great deal of education and psychology coursework under my belt. Especially if you have a younger student that has had a negative teacher experience in the past, you may want to try me out for a more positive student/teacher relationship. I am very patient and believe that any student with the correct guidance and a strong work ethic has the potential to play on a professional level if that is his/her passion. If you are an adult and have struggled with music or reading in the past, I will try to analyse your learning style and work with that. I am proud to use educational psychology in the way I structure lessons (ie, if a student is a visual, aural, kinesthetic type of learner). All of my students who stick with it have strong reading and basic technical skills, and if possible learn the keyboard percussion and hand drum instruments as well. Reading proficiency is important for homework and recording your ideas. Finally, I am willing to work with people who need somewhat flexible scheduling.

Styles: Rock, Jazz, Classical, Opera, Musical Theatre, Pop, Hip Hop, Celtic, Latin

Ages: Elementary School, Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Availability: All of Manhattan, call/email for other boroughs. I don't teach in Staten Island, but I do teach in Bergen, Rockland, Westchester Counties.

Education: Percussion Performance (PhD), New York University (PhD) [2008]

About Me:ShowMy approach to teaching is made of two elements: listening and expressing. In order to play what you want to express, I believe you need to hear it first. Then you need to be able to play what you hear. I believe each student deserves an individual lesson plan. I would be happy to provide practice materials selected according to each student's musical goal.

Styles: Rock, Jazz, Fusion, Funk, Folk, Classical, Musical Theatre, Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Latin, Country

Ages: Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Availability: All of Manhattan, Downtown, Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, East Village, Chelsea

Education: Master of Art in Music (MA), The City College of New York, CUNY [2000]

About Me:ShowI address each student differently targeting his or her weak points to list the goals for the lessons. After a initial evaluation we schedule our plan and list the things we need to work on. Depending on the time the student has to practice I give homework which I encourage to practice on a musical context not only as a separated exercise.

Styles: Jazz

Ages: Elementary School, Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Education: Masters in Music (MA), New England Conservatory [2006]

Laura J. - Washington Heights, 10040

About Me:ShowI believe in an eclectic, flexible yet comprehensive teaching method that focuses on musical enjoyment and improvisation from the beginning steps. Each lesson I teach is completely different. I encourage music reading through playing and simple steps, but will challenge students who progress quickly. I believe that music is about expression and enrichment and that constant listening and self-analysis is important. I provide set lesson plans, which we write in a book weekly for record keeping, but depend on each student for input on overall direction, as well as equal voice in discovering and solving musical issues. I also focus on material that students are comfortable with and use that as a foundation to learn other concepts that might seem intimidating at first. This helps to build not only a solid technical foundation, but the self confidence in playing from the first lessons that makes a great improviser/composer, minimizes performance anxiety, and liberates creative impulse. Even beginning students will play along to music, work on some basic fill writing, and eventually learn to transcribe drum parts. Students learn the basics along with some playing by ear, which can come from material and albums that the student selects. I also have experience working with special needs students (ADD, autism, cerebral palsy), and have a great deal of education and psychology coursework under my belt. Especially if you have a younger student that has had a negative teacher experience in the past, you may want to try me out for a more positive student/teacher relationship. I am very patient and believe that any student with the correct guidance and a strong work ethic has the potential to play on a professional level if that is his/her passion. If you are an adult and have struggled with music or reading in the past, I will try to analyse your learning style and work with that. I am proud to use educational psychology in the way I structure lessons (ie, if a student is a visual, aural, kinesthetic type of learner). All of my students who stick with it have strong reading and basic technical skills, and if possible learn the keyboard percussion and hand drum instruments as well. Reading proficiency is important for homework and recording your ideas. Finally, I am willing to work with people who need somewhat flexible scheduling.

Styles: Rock, Jazz, Classical, Opera, Musical Theatre, Pop, Hip Hop, Celtic, Latin

Ages: Elementary School, Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Education: Percussion Performance (PhD), New York University (PhD) [2008]

Yuichi H. - Midtown, 10018

About Me:ShowMy approach to teaching is made of two elements: listening and expressing. In order to play what you want to express, I believe you need to hear it first. Then you need to be able to play what you hear. I believe each student deserves an individual lesson plan. I would be happy to provide practice materials selected according to each student's musical goal.

Styles: Rock, Jazz, Fusion, Funk, Folk, Classical, Musical Theatre, Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Latin, Country

Ages: Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Education: Master of Art in Music (MA), The City College of New York, CUNY [2000]