Matt M.

The first session we outline what the student's goals are so we can best achieve them together. From there, depending on their foundational knowledge we can work through songs, techniques, exercises, or theory to expand their musical vocabulary. And as we learn any number of these, we can interconnect them together to get a better picture of the instrument as a whole. From week to week I would have them practice what we worked on in class, ideally giving them a digital copy of whatever notes were pertinent in helping them progress their goal. I prefer sessions to be guided by the student's curiosity and interests instead of forcing rote drills into them so they can stay inspired.

The first session we outline what the student's goals are so we can best achieve them together. From there we work on making their dream song a reality. I like to see what method of writing clicks the most with someone be it lyrics first, chords first, melody first, or a combination of whatever sparks interest. From there we can build out the rest of the song, learning whatever new concepts are relevant along the way such as music theory or arrangement. I also think it is useful to analyze songs that inspire the student and learn how they tick (Great artists steal after all!). Week to week whatever we are working we can have bite-sized chunks to review: simple lyric prompts, creating a skeleton of a song we can flesh out, creating a melody we can then branch out further into supporting harmony, or even having the student write their own analysis of a song they like and we can go over it together. Together we can unlock that song that's hiding inside of you