A little bit about my approach to teaching:

In my mind, no matter the genre, there are two overarching components of music, which I call groove and voice. 

Groove is often associated with rhythm, but it is more broadly about the underlying “feel” of a piece of music, the sustained energy which musicians tune into and allows for musical connection between musicians. It is like the stage design for a play; it sets the scene and mood for musical expression. 

Voice is what I call individual musical expression. It is strongly tied to melody, and involves inhabiting the center of attention in a musical piece. It is the stage actor who is drawing the attention of the other actors and audience. 

Many musicians struggle with one or both of these aspects of music. Most of us face hurdles to fully surrendering to a groove, especially if it is not a musical mood we are familiar with. We worry about whether we will play correctly and feel that we have to learn a groove before trying to play along. Or we impose a groove we are familiar with, without picking up on the subtleties of the mood another musician was exploring. 

Voice can be even more challenging. Improvisation and soloing has been a daunting impediment to most musicians’ growth at some point or remains one. Many musicians also struggle with singing, and most of us find listening to our own voices uncomfortable. Figuring out what you have to say musically and standing up and saying it so that others want to listen takes courage and confrontation with self-doubt. I also think it is one of the most worthwhile things you can do!

I believe that the hurdles in developing both groove and voice are ultimately emotional, and when they are overcome musical progress takes place automatically and effortlessly. However, we don’t need to wait until these doubt and inhibitions are defeated (which they will probably never be) to start working on music! There are many approaches and exercises that slowly but surely counteract our doubts and inhibitions and help us develop healthy musical habits. I would be delighted to share these with you!