Alex P.
Private tutor in Cockeysville, MD
Education
University of Maryland, Baltimore 2nd-year DPT student May 2014 - Present Expected graduation May 2017 Loyola University Maryland B.S. Biology (awarded May 2010), GPA 3.62 Sept. 2006 - May 2010 Additional Coursework: Music Theory Jazz Improvisation Songwriting/Arranging 2013-2014: Weekly piano lessons with Kevin Gift (independent artist) 2009-2010: Rock drumming lessons with Mike Kanter (Baltimore School for Drumming)
Experience
I’ve formally taught two students (ages 21 and 40) and informally taught dozens of others in various settings and situations. For those students I taught formally, I gave highly individualized lessons catered to meet their needs and supplement their current understanding of music. I believe the best lessons can’t come from books, but rather from a teacher who: has been there, done that; is one who’s had formal instruction on top of extensive experience with self-teaching and trial and error to see what works and what doesn’t; and as such, is one who can empathize with students’ frustration during the process of learning. Music presents a unique challenge to an individual’s expectations of the learning process. Many students expect rapid acquisition of musical “fluency”, and when the breadth of the work to achieve that goal is revealed, their patience and motivation are tested. One of my goals is to help the student get to the goal as fast as possible while vigilantly surveilling the workload to prevent the student from burning out. My primary goal is to help the student reach a level of proficiency where he feels he has the toolkit to tackle any new musical challenge with success. I feel that I’ve come up with a fairly unique approach to learning music that provides a rudimentary knowledge that evaded me for many years in my practicing – a knowledge-base that would have benefited me had I just put forth the effort to understand it in the beginning. The traditional approach to teaching the beginner is easily substituted by any beginner’s manual, but is also one that I’ve felt deprives motivated students of the conceptual understanding they crave. My approach is to synthesize music theory, ear training, and technique development into each lesson, and rarely has this approach been one-size-fits-all, paint-by-numbers. I learn what the student knows, how the student learns, how the student thinks, and make adjustments to best serve the student. People want to know why they’re doing what they’re doing; students lose scope of the lesson without knowing the purpose of why they’re putting their time into it. The students who received formal lessons from me were able to understand nearly all of the fundamental principles of sight reading, music theory, chord building, rhythm interpretation, and some ear training in about two to three weeks’ time. I prefer to think that this is a testament to how effective the lessons were for them. The same results are easily obtained by students who have even a modest amount of motivation for learning music, yet it is so often neglected in the typical beginner’s education. My own training has been a blend of self-teaching and formal instruction. An initial interest in classic rock-era guitarists led me to pick up the guitar in 2005, which spurred a much more serious investigation into music theory that has endured ever since. While at Loyola, I took courses in Music Fundamentals, Music Theory, Jazz Improvisation, and Songwriting and received high marks all around. I received enough college credit for a minor in music, but did not perform a recital to earn the performance requirement. I play three instruments: Guitar (since 2005), Piano (lifelong, but intently since 2010), and Drums (Rock kit, since 2007). From September 2013 to May 2014, I had access to weekly piano lessons with Kevin Gift (this is a name worth looking up; pseudonym “Wendel Patrick” for his hip-hop work) where I learned most of what I know. Although I discontinued my lessons with him due to school obligations, he continues to act as a valuable resource in my practice. I’m a graduate of the class of 2010 from Loyola University Maryland where I earned a B.S. in biology. After graduating, I became a full-time employee at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine in Baltimore before starting a doctorate program at the same institution in May 2014. Now living on loans and money saved over the last 3 years, I’d like to take a passion and talent of mine and help my students discover a lifelong love of music.
Availability
Saturday after 9AM, Any day after 5PM
Can Meet
Up to 30 minutes away for no additional charge, Up to 45 minutes away for a flat fee
Hobbies
My formal education includes 300-level coursework in Music Theory, Jazz Improvisation, and Songwriting/Arranging; along with weekly lessons in percussion and piano at various points in my life. Additionally, my music education is always developing independently, as music is one of my foremost passions. Favorite Artists: Guitar Music: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pink Floyd, Muse, The Rolling Stones Piano Music: Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Billy Joel, Yanni I love mountain biking, hikes - all kinds of outdoor activities. I'll play just about any sport when I get the opportunity, but nothing beats a quality game of volleyball in the summertime. Strength training, boxing. Snowboarding in the wintertime. Most people find me to be a pretty serious, honest guy with a strict moral code, which is good because I aim for this!
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