Performance Skills is a very helpful lab for the lower level student. It helps them to connect with the instrument and to help give them a good grasp of the proficiency materials. I place a good amount of focus on reading music. My goal is to also teach the student to follow a basic song chart. I use different stylistic pieces that are fun for the student to inspire them to make progress in their reading. I also feel the importance of developing their ears which I do through having them listen to musical phrases I play and having them repeat them on their instruments. I make sure that the students have a good understanding of the basics of music with attention given to scales, triads, arpeggios, 4-part chords, pentatonic scales, comping and improvisation.

    Rock Styles lab is very for me fun because much of my influences as a young guitar player came from the likes of Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Al Dimeola, Jimmy Page and so many others fantastic Rock players. I also explore in that class different elements of Funk Rock and Rock/Jazz Fusion and Heavy Metal. The methods and techniques I use in that class include the use of Pentatonic Scales, Sixteenth note rhythm patterns, Yngwee Malmsteenish Diminished Pentatonic Scales, Heavy rock rhythms, using modal changes within various modes including the Phrygian and Lydian Modes and as always an emphases on visual performance. A book that I use often in the class is Jon Finn’s Rock Guitarist.

   Another very gratifying class that I have privileged to teach has been the Jazz Improvisation Techniques class using Hal Crook’s Text Book “How to Improvise”. The different techniques we explore in that class is the use of Melodic Embellishment, Rhythmic Embellishment, Melody Memorization, Chord-Tone Soloing, Time-feel, the use of Chord Scales, Syncopation, and the Play/Rest Approach. We cover the material and experiment with it using a large selection of Jazz standard tunes including Anthropology, How High the Moon, Straight No Chaser and Footprints. I believe strongly that listening to the Masters is a very important part of learning to improvise. I also encourage the students to bring in recorded material that is inspiring them and we spend a little time before each class listening to this music. I especially enjoy teaching the young improviser chord tone soloing with a more vertical approach to the chord changes over the classic John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. I’ve witnessed much encouragement from the student improvisers as they realize that they too, can solo over that incredibly challenging tune.

    Ensemble teaching is one of my passions. I have had continuous ensemble experience in my own career since the age of 9. I now currently manage 2 R&B general business groups for weekend work, using a mixture of Berklee faculty, graduates and students. I especially love artist development. I love taking a young player and getting my hands dirty and training and preparing them to do professional gigs. I enjoy teaching my ensemble students how to interact with other ensemble players. I have been teaching the Masters Class ENSB111 from the time I started teaching at Berklee in 1998. My duties there include performing for the students with a rhythm section made up of other Berklee instructors. We also conduct a question/answer time as we talk about communication on the bandstand, the art of listening to each other, song form, comping, and improvisation. We then break down into either labs or ensembles to help the students with the material that was performed and discussed. I also take the time to explore different arrangements of the material that was covered with my ensemble to have them taste the inspiration of originality. This also helps the student go beyond just rote playing of the selected music, but to also dig deep to come up with ideas as they work together to form the arrangement as an ensemble. I have witnessed many students who have had little to no experience in ensemble playing really develop a team spirit with the other members of the ensemble and perform original arrangements with much progress very quickly. It has been encouraging to see the student "take the bull by the horns" and set up rehearsal times outside of the classroom. The first time we meet as an ensemble, I designate a bandleader who collects all of the other students phone numbers and who is in charge of reserving the practice room and contacting the band members of the time and place or rehearsals. I believe this dynamic is very healthy. This not only develops leaders but it also helps the student whose tendency is to be reluctant to become more confident within a musical situation. And this certainly teaches the students what it is like to be in a real band situation. I use a lot of these methods with the 5-Week Ensembles also.

   Lastly, during the 03 and 04 summer semesters I have had the opportunity of teaching the musicianship class during the Berklee 5-week summer program. Musicianship class is essentially an ear-training course for the 5-weekers and it has been very gratifying for me. With younger students especially, it is very important to keep the class moving, fun and filled with variety and excitement. I believe one of my biggest strengths, as an educator is keeping the classroom connected, engaged and motivated to progress and musical growth. The methods used are the singing of rote melodies, rhythmic and melodic dictation, sight-reading of melodies and rhythmic patterns, performance preparation, recognition of intervals, harmony, and solfege.