How and Why I Teach the Way I Do

I’ve been playing musical instruments for most of my life. I got my first guitar as a Christmas present when I was 9 years old, but I didn’t like my teacher, so didn’t really learn more than a couple of chords.

A few years later I got an old, clunky, oddball electric guitar (with way too many switches) at a garage sale in Hockley Village. I started taking lessons again shortly after and my new teacher taught me music I wanted to learn, which at the time was mostly rock and heavy metal. Since then, my musical tastes have changed a lot, but my love of music has remained a central part of my life.

I play the piano, guitar, bass, drums, and a handful of other instruments. I have played in bands and solo, in many musical styles.

I started teaching music lessons at a store called River Valley Music in Grand Valley. A second location opened in Shelburne, and I taught piano and guitar there for a couple of years. From there, I went to Acoustic Traditions in Orangeville, before opening my own lesson studio in Orangeville around 2010.

A few years later, I closed my studio and began teaching piano and guitar lessons at my friend Perry’s shop, Aardvark Music and Culture. At the beginning of 2023, I decided to go out on my own once again, and I am now teaching from my home in Orangeville, both in person and online.

I tailor lessons to the individual student. I have always loved music, and my life has been enriched by music, so I believe helping students find a lifelong connection to music is the most important thing I do.

Each student is different. Everyone learns at their own speed, and for their own reasons. Music has always been deeply personal for me, so I respect each student’s preferences. I’ll always try to incorporate music of the student’s own choosing whenever possible. It doesn’t matter that I’m not a big fan of eighties metal anymore, when I am teaching, if that’s a student’s passion, it’s my passion, too.

I also believe everyone should have the best chance to understand the fundamentals of music. I encourage everyone to learn the basics of music theory and reading, as applicable to their instrument, skill level, and musical goals.