“At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:11 NAB

Personal Philosophy

Music for me is all about freedom and expression. It’s a sonic language of beauty, passion, love, fear, regret, sorrow, and all of the other emotions that characterize the human condition. The music that I write and the end-goal of all of my practicing is to cultivate a tremendous freedom of expression on the instrument. I want to feel comfortable enough in any situation where I can just play and be in the moment, like a kid playing in a sandbox. I want to write music that expresses what I feel in my heart in a way that hopefully touches and resonates with some people. And I want to connect with people who appreciate what I do and give back any way that I can.

Teaching Philosophy

The core tenet of my teaching philosophy is that everyone, regardless of age, talent or background can improve and gradually achieve proficiency and confidence on the guitar.  If they are willing to persevere in continuing lessons and practice consistently, they are virtually guaranteed to succeed.  It might take longer than they hoped, but if they stick with it, they will get there one day.

Knowledge is not a substitute for practice

I have observed over the years that there really is no substitute for practice.  Practice is the only way to improve as a musician. No amount of lessons can get you where you want to go if you don’t practice with consistency and focus.

As a musician, you have to execute music; simply possessing knowledge is not sufficient. If you think you can take lessons and practice a little bit here and there and reach your goals, you are fooling yourself. You need to wake up every day and ask yourself “What are 1 or 2 things that I can practice today to make myself incrementally a better musician than I was yesterday?” Then you have to follow through on your plan.

So you need to have the proper mindset; you need to be patient, persistent, and dogged with your efforts. Make a commitment to yourself to see this interest through thick or thin. Many people give lessons a try but do not persevere when things get difficult or look bleak.

Playing an instrument well takes a lot of work. I’ve been at it for over 26 years and I still learn new things every day. It’s part of what keeps the hobby fresh and interesting if you have a good mindset about it.

I have all of the knowledge that you need to be successful.  How well you master that knowledge depends on you: your work ethic, your commitment, your consistency and your patience.

Do not allow yourself to get overly frustrated or deflated as you progress on your journey. If you are really interested in learning the guitar, make a commitment to yourself to pursue it with discipline and enthusiasm, and to stick it out even through tough times. 

 

One of my students told me:

You’re the best guitar teacher I’ve ever had [she has had five]. You’re very methodical and precise. The other ones would just teach me to play songs and it would be fun, but I never reached my goals. You’re teaching me the fundamentals, which is what I’ve always wanted to learn.” – Catherine L., Lincoln RI

Call me at 508-202-1032 to schedule an appointment or to discuss your goals.