Lessons

SCHEDULING

Lessons are generally scheduled at the same time every week for 30, 45 or 60 minute sessions. If you have a conflict with a particular lesson, please let me know as soon as possible to allow for the possibily of rescheduling. Lessons missed without 24 hours notice must be paid in full.

TEACHING STYLE

My teaching style is highly dependent on the individual learning style of the student, as well as their age and skill level. Lessons are generally a healthy balance of instruction, encouragement, fun, and establishing high performance standards. I believe efficient practicing and an enthusiastic attitude are far more important elements for becoming a successful musician than talent will ever be. My job as a teacher is to set high goals, lay out a path towards achieving those goals, and offer applied and technical information that will remove hindrances from that path.

LOCATION

My studio is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn accessible by the F, G, R, 2, and 3 trains. I am also available for online and in home lessons.

PRACTICING

Lessons are an integral part of learning a musical instrument; however, lessons without regular home practice are far less effective. THE MORE YOU PRACTICE THE BETTER YOU WILL BE. It is very important that parents be encouraging and involved in setting up a practice routine. I understand that students’ schedules can be overwhelmingly busy, but 15 to 60 minutes a day (depending on the level of student) is absolutely necessary to maximizing your improvement. The hardest part is getting started!

Good practice techniques will save you a lot of time and frustration. It is best to practice on a routine, so find a certain time every day when you know you will be free and not prone to procrastination. A space without distractions is best. In your lessons, I will suggest warm-ups that you should do at the beginning of each of your practice sessions. They will involve long tones to develop sound and air control, scales to develop technique and general musical knowledge, and some articulation exercises. Be sure to devote a small amount of time to reed maintenance so that you know which of your reeds are the best, dispose of reeds that no longer work and break in new reeds as needed.

Set specific goals in your practice session and be sure to work on the passages that give you the most trouble, the ones you wish you could avoid. YOU WILL ALWAYS IMPROVE FASTEST BY PRACTICING SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY. Rushing through and repeating mistakes only makes them happen more consistently. Spend as much effort as possible to learn music correctly the very first time you play it. In this way, you will spend less time trying to fix bad habits and more time raising the quality of performance through musicality, faster tempos where applicable, intonation, attention to detail, good sound and clean articulation. Be sure to allow yourself small breaks to refocus your effort if you get distracted or frustrated.

ASSIGNMENTS

I am here to help you become a more competent musician and better clarinet player. While I will definitely be available to answer any questions and help with confusing or difficult passages in the music of your choice or ensemble music, your primary assignments from me will be exercises and music that will build the skills for you to learn music easily on your own. Try to avoid using your lesson as your practice time. I encourage students to keep a practice journal. Each week, the student should write down what they covered in their lesson and their assignment for the next week. Each time they practice they should log the date, start and end time, and what they have practiced. Parents should feel free to monitor and help with students' practice journals.