Pricing of lessons reflects Jesse's professional education, qualifications and experience. The lesson pricing is negotiable as studying music should be available to everyone.

Please contact via email if you are interested in private lessons. Be sure to include subject, current experience level and goals.

Note: All lessons are online via Zoom at this time due to the ongoing pandemic.

Teaching Approach

Music is something we play, hear and share to enrich our lives. The study of music should be no different. Keeping the student engaged and excited is at the core of Jesse's approach. Lessons and material are adapted to each student's interests and needs to foster both the technique and material studied as much as the engagement and enthusiasm for each lesson and music in general.

Composition

Composition lessons are guided by the student's creative and stylistic ideas and goals. The instructor's job is to help the student realize the music that they want to write, not to force the instructor's style or ideas into the student's pen. Critical listening and analysis are important aspects to the study of composition and are touched on during these lessons along side the craft and technique of composing.

Theory/Harmony

The study of theory and harmony are stereotypically feared by music students. Much like those who have struggled with math, Jesse believes this is due to teaching method and not the material itself. Music theory is fundamentally assigning names to sounds and structures that we hear so that we can see patterns and better understand and discuss these abstract concepts. Elements of ear training and sing/clap/play-back are used to foster engagement and to solidify the connections between these abstract concepts and the experience of music making. Basic fundamentals through post-tonal theory and analysis lessons are available.

Guitar

Jesse's approach to guitar instruction ultimately aims to engage the student with all aspects of music. Whether studying classical, acoustic or electric guitar, lessons incorporate techniques and fretboard "geography" through the music studied. Appropriate techniques drawn from the classical guitar practice are incorporated into all guitar playing to promote better ergonomic habits to reduce discomfort and potential issues.