Interested in playing the mandolin or "upping" your current mandolin game? Congratulations! You’ve come to the right place!! 😊

These days, there are endless options available for learning to play the mandolin. Books, DVD's, On-Line Music Schools ... all of these are helpful and have their place. However, to fast track your ability to play and enjoy the instrument and to take your musicianship to the "next level" nothing beats personal, one-on-one lessons with an experienced teacher. With autumn upon us, winter approaching and more folks returning to their offices after Corona-pause, I have a few openings for new students and would love to help you move forward on your mandolinistic journey.

Background:

I teach mandolin (and entry-level guitar) via Zoom - with 'live lessons' from my home in Orange County, NY, gradually resuming as more folks get vaccinated and we all emerge safely from "Corona-pause".

I've been playing and teaching mandolin for well over thirty years and have made my musical home in the American roots styles of bluegrass, blues, swing, and old-time with a healthy dose of Classical, Quebecois, Celtic and Scandinavian music thrown in for good measure. I have performed on Broadway with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell and toured nationally with their show, "Bright Star". I've also worked with some of the country's top string players in venues ranging from coffee houses to Carnegie Hall. Along the way, I've authored three mandolin instruction and tune books (sample here ... http://tinyurl.com/ygu8ct ).

I recently completed classes in Performance Psychology with professors at both Julliard and NYU. This is *really* exciting stuff and is a tremendously under-served topic in the mandolin community. Everybody tells you that you need to practice, very few provide you with a proven methodology for doing so, that keeps you off 'plateaus' and guarantees your continued, forward progress.

What this means for you in practical terms, is that in addition to showing you technique and tunes to challenge and keep you moving forward, I can help you to learn specific, proven, practice skills that will absolutely make you a better musician and prepare you for more confident, "choke-proof" concerts, performances, auditions, placement trials, etc.

Teaching Philosophy:

I teach students at all levels, from complete beginners to advanced students looking to expand their skills and musical horizons. I strive to provide an alternative to the cookie-cutter approach found in method books, academic music programs, and internet resources. In doing so, I work with each student to create a unique course of study that considers who they are, what musical goals and interests they have, how they learn, and whatever unique challenges may arise during the learning process. I try to make the lessons as "self-guided" as possible (you tell me where you want to focus and what material you are interested in), while still getting across proper technique and the concepts that will help to take you to the "next level". I've found that this approach helps to make the lessons immediately more relevant, accelerates the learning process and keeps things fun!!

I have a nice, well- lit, multi-camera setup so that you'll be able to clearly see what I'm doing as I teach you and I can record our lessons so that you'll have them for future reference.

The Details:

One-hour lessons are available and can be scheduled on either a weekly or a bi-weekly basis. My current rate is $70 for the hour, with no additional charge if we go over a bit, as we sometimes will when things get interesting.

I am a big believer in investing the time needed to read standard notation and to understand some basic music theory, but we don't have to begin with that ... or touch it at all, if you're completely averse to the idea. I can help you to play by ear or we can use TAB if that is your preference.

My responsibility is to make these lessons as valuable to you and as much fun for you as I possibly can! If all of this sounds good, please drop me a note so we can set up a time to get going!