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TEACHING STUDIO RULES 

I'm available for jazz piano / jazz improvisation / composition and arranging lessons in my home studio,
which is located in Alexandria, VA near Fort Belvoir and Mount Vernon.

** LEARN FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD **
I teach online lessons using ZOOM.

Students must have some basic knowledge of the piano.
It's never too late to enjoy the beauty of playing music.

SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS!

 

My Teaching Philosophy

My experience is vast and varied as a teacher, mentor, and clinician. I've had the pleasure of working with students of all walks of life and ability, and there is nothing quite as thrilling as seeing a student "get it."  

In order to study music based in improvisation and creativity, the student must be very organized in their approach.  Also, practicing should always be considered a CREATIVE and FUN endeavor! If it gets laborious or boring, we are doing something wrong. Yes, improvisation is a language, and it requires tools and building blocks to help unlock that language, but language without application is useless, and frankly not very fun!

The foundation of my teaching comes from what I refer to as the "4 T's"

Tunes 
Time 
Transcription 
Transposition 

Everything comes from these four general concepts, and when focused on, they will help the student gain a deeper understanding of this incredible music.

Topics Covered

General Concepts

  • Learning about the 3 levels of listening
  • Scales and Harmony
  • The Blues (major and minor)
  • Comping
  • Rhythm Changes
  • Learning Tunes (the rep!)
  • Rhythmic Exercises
  • Transposition (phrases, tunes, and arrangements)
  • Voicings
  • Harmonizing Melodies
  • Drop 2
Transcriptions
  • How to get the most out of a solo
  • What to do once the transcription is done
  • How to incorporate the language into your own playing
Advanced Concepts 
  • Approach Tones
  • Diminished Harmony
  • Bebop (scales and rhythm)
  • Piano Arrangements
  • Playing over Countdown and Giant Steps
  • Pentatonics
  • Re-harmonization
  • Playing in Odd Time Signatures
  • Chromatic Improvisation (getting outside the changes)
  • Composition

AND SO MUCH MORE!