Stringing Along

 

April Teacher Spotlights

 

Rachel began playing cello in 6^th grade.   An older friend had shown Rachel her cello and she immediately knew that was the instrument she wanted to learn.

She was fortunate to be a part of a highly skilled high school orchestra that began her music education.   She also attended music camps at North Texas College and Baylor University.   The majority of Rachel’s music education has come from experience and she is currently working towards a teaching certificate.

Her favorite teacher is her high school orchestra director, David McCutchan, who continually pushed her to be a better musician.   “He saw something in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself.   I knew I loved playing, but didn’t become a good musician until somewhere between ninth and tenth grade. (McCutchan) made sure I always had opportunities to challenge myself musically, and taught me how to be a good musician through discipline and encouragement,” she said.

Rachel loves to encourage her students to go above and beyond what they think they are capable of and finds it very rewarding when they see themselves succeeding.   “Anytime I have a student achieve something they didn’t think they could, I get so excited for them,” she said.

“Practice, practice, practice” is Rachel’s best tip to students.   “That’s really the best way to get to know your instrument and music.    Look up technique exercises to help you with your playing.   Besides that, listen to those who are teaching you, they know because they’ve been there before,” she said.

Rachel bought her cello online and had to put some work into it to upgrade it, but that has paid off and it sound great now, she said.

Tony has enjoyed music since he was a small child, always singing along to the car radio and singing hymns at church on the weekends.

He began playing alto saxophone in his elementary school band at age 10 and tenor saxophone in high school at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.  When he was 15, he began teaching himself to play guitar, which became his primary instrument.

The late Christopher Flannery, Tony’s high school band director is his favorite teacher.   “He approached instruction with a wonderful blend of both non-sensical humor … and an emphasis on professional-level preparedness and performance,” he said.

Tony’s best teaching experience came last spring with an adult student with no musical experience.   As a surprise to his wife, the student wanted to learn guitar and play a specific song at a family wedding in the fall.   With only a limited time to progress from novice to performance ready, Tony provided the student with the instruction he needed to pull it off.  “It was crazy and so heartwarming to know that our lessons were all part of a special surprise he was arranging for his wife and other family members and it was a wonderful endeavor to be a part of,” he said.

Tony’s best tip for students is to approach your instrument with a specific goal for a practice session and a sense of curiosity.  “Often, we don’t want to do things, like practice, because it feels crummy to observe yourself doing something poorly.   In moments like this, I think about what ‘s the next smallest goal….and spend some time on it, but then also allow yourself to see what happens when you DON’T play it correctly or play something like it, which is often something you’ll find cool or interesting,” he said.   Tony designs all his lessons around his students’ interest and teaches technique and theory from the standpoint of their favorite artists.

A Fender Telecaster Deluxe, purchased in 2012, is Tony’s primary instrument.   “It’s a wonderful guitar with single coil pickups and a very bright tone that works great for the high energy indie rock stylings I bring to my live performances,” he said.     Tony plays in a band, called “ Boys Choir”, led by his long-time friend and biggest supporter, Kevin de Souza.    “(Kevin) is an amazing musician and bassist, and in a lot of ways, I really regard him as a coach I and the other band members work with to develop excellent arrangements of the songs he writes for the band.”

Because his mother ‘made him’, Reggie started playing music at age 5.   He went on to study music at Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman School of Music, Mannes College of Music and University of Denver.

Reggie recently started teaching young children, which was scary for him because he was out of his element.  So far, it’s gone well and he’s found it rewarding.   “There’s something really gratifying about seeing that a young child finds joy in music, and in learning and knowing that without your guidance, they wouldn’t have discovered, at last not yet,” he said.

His best tip for students is to stick with lessons.   “If you don’t like the music at first, that’s fine.   Just keep doing it little by little and see where it goes.  If you do like it, but feel like ‘I’m never going to be good enough and there’s so much to learn,’ well, …those thoughts are normal musician neurosis that follows all of us our whole music lives.  So, intend focus on the job of music, the comradery you are a creating with you and the people you play with and for, and be open to things you don’t know.”  “Get exposed to all styles and genres and learn to appreciate all forms of music.”

Reggie works hard to connect with his students and says he’s very good at intuitively knowing what is holding them back.   Some don’t take lessons seriously and it’s up to him to help them build discipline.   Others are too serious and Reggie’s job is to help them relax and enjoy music.   One of his students always got nervous when playing, due to over thinking.   To help her overcome this, Reggie came to the lesson dressed as Kurt Cobain from Nirvana.  His student laughed the entire lesson, even when she made mistakes, which helped her understand that she needed to relax and have fun while playing.

His biggest supporter is Jazz Violinist, Christian Howes.   Howes’ is Reggie’s music business coach.   “I would highly recommend him to every freelancing musician who’s looking to improve their career in any way,” he said, “He’s always there for me, at any time of the day, giving me a great answer about what to do next.”

When Reggie went to New York City for school, his mother sold the small upright piano he grew up with.   Although he hopes to have an apartment of his own and a grand piano in the next five years, he’s met many great pianists who only have keyboards and his two keyboards, a CASIOPrivia-150 and CASIO PX-5s, have served him well.

Terran started playing music when he was 10 years old.   He had a great music teacher in elementary school so when he reached middle school, he was eager to join the band.   He studied at the University of Central Florida and Rollins College.

His favorite music teacher is Victor Wooten, a bassist.   Terran says that Wooten is, “an amazing performer and teacher.”   He found his lessons to be very inspiring and says that Wooten pushes the boundaries while also making his lessons about life and philosophy.

Whenever a student has a breakthrough moment is Terran’s best teaching experience.  “My favorite part about teaching is knowing that the student is making progress,” he said.   Terran focuses his lessons between what the student wants to learn and how to progress their playing further.   “I like to keep it simple and fun!   After all, that’s why we play music!’ he said.

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes!   Sometimes they lead to new ideas and other times they make you focus towards fixing them,” is his best tip for students.

Terran’s biggest supporter is his dad.   “He always comes to my shows and has been excited that I decided to become a musician.”   His father also gifted him a bass guitar when he got into college for music.

He was nominated as teacher of the month by Orlando Director, Marty Grosso who says he’s attentive, easy to work with and parents and students enjoy him.

Lessons In Your Home would like to welcome the following new students to our LIYH family.

We’re so glad you’ve decided to take music lessons with us!

DENVER