GENERAL INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND

Subjects: By virtue of the trumpet's popularity, most of my students take trumpet lessons, but I also do offer lessons for these subjects: Jazz Piano, Jazz Improvisation (for all instruments), Composition and Arranging. Music Theory is integrated into all of those subjects. Please read below for more information.

Length of Lessons: 30 or 60 minutes, once a week (also available for questions during the week between lessons).

Current Rates: Please contact me by phone or e-mail.

Available Times: My regular teaching hours are usually from around 2:00 PM-7:30 PM, Monday-Thursday. Again, please contact me by phone or e-mail me for my most current schedule.

Studio Locations:
Achord Studios - in the Broadway Estates Professional Building at 6574 S. Broadway (just north of Arapahoe Road), part of the Music Educator's Group. This is my own private studio, equipped with a nice piano, stereo and other aids that are conducive to the learning experience. This wonderful space has new paint and carpet, great lighting and ventilation, and has a comfortable waiting area and clean restrooms.
Kolacny Music - at 1900 S. Broadway (just two blocks north of Evans), where I have taught since 1979. This store is a great resource for professional quality instruments, service, and music.

·Thoughts, philosophy, approaches: I love teaching and sharing the joys of music and discovery with students of all levels and ages. Music is my passion, and I take the responsibility of guidance entrusted to me by the student very seriously. Mastering the fundamentals is an essential step in the study of music, and I tailor the approach to learning these basic tools to each individual student, providing positive reinforcement in a supportive, relaxed environment. However music is not only about correct technique and form, so I also believe that creativity should be nurtured from the outset, not only in its expressive forms but also by incorporating the creative process into the routine and repetition of daily practice. Besides creativity, the study of music will help you develop awareness, focus, patience and more, all of which will help you understand more about yourself. My hope for all of my students is that they enjoy and are inspired by the fruits of their own good work more than the initial novelty of an instrument or goal. I do my best to give them some effective tools and encouragement for the challenging times, which are always inevitable in a discipline such as music.

·Teaching Background: I have been a freelance player and private instructor for over thirty years, with performance and teaching experience in all styles of music. I teach students of all ages and levels, from beginning to professional, and have coached school aged students to first chair positions from middle school levels to All State Band and college scholarship offers. I have also done clinics in the schools for Creative Music Works, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Kolacny Music among others, and have served as a judge and clinician at Auraria's Tri-College Jazz Festival. I was selected to "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" in 2000, and the Young Audiences' "Composer-in-Residence" Program (2000-3) and taught teachers at their summer "Aesthetics Education Institute of Colorado" in June 2001. I taught private lessons and classes at the University of Colorado at Denver (1993-2003) and have done substitute teaching at Metropolitan State College. In addition, I have authored music theory and improvisation chapters for private and college students since 2002 and am currently writing a larger work on brass fundamentals (embouchure, breathing, practice routines).