First and foremost, I believe in a student-initiated study of music. I find that students are the most motivated and successful if they're learning music that they're actually interested in. If you really like jazz, we'll learn jazz! If you really like pop or want to play showtunes, I'll get you there! Classical? No problem!

Secondly, I take a highly theory-informed approach to learning. This means that all of my students, no matter what age, level, or genre(s) they wish to study will learn not only scales, chords, basic analysis, and the like, but also why those things are applicable to the music that they're playing.

Lastly, I believe in challenging my students with variety. Growing up, I rarely practiced my lesson material. I was bored. It was the same thing every week: "practice this one song from the book." But my sight reading was so poor that the book was well below my 'actual' level and I could feign great improvement week to week without practice because I could play the material the second time, just not the first time. I didn't feel challenged, and I didn't receive any guidance to improve my sightreading. With this experience, I tailor lessons to individual students, knowing there isn’t any “one size fits all” method; offering challenges to those who need to be challenged, and easing up with students who are more easily overwhelmed.

I believe that music exploration should be a "choose your own adventure," and I strive to make that possible for my students.