About Lessons - The Music Shed

Teaching Philosophy

To professional musicians, music is comparable to speaking another language. We don’t need to constantly think about speaking, it’s just something that we’re able to do. However many musicians and students struggle with distractions when they play; whether it be shapes on a guitar neck, key centers, or even song form. Beside instructing the various aspects of music, my goal in lessons is to also help guitar students perform without these distractions. Let’s call this ability intuition; it’s my hope that on some level, you’ll be able to play the guitar intuitively.

Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, and Production at the Music Shed are taught using a refreshing approach to lessons that identifies and focuses on your specific interests as a student. Within your interests lies the key to what you need to learn from a theoretical and practical standpoint. Isolating your interests and needs as a student will help make your goals clear, attainable, and most of all…FUN!

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele Lessons

Why Take Guitar Lessons With Me?

I teach guitar using a variety of approaches, but all centralized on a students learning style and their interests. The end result for all students, is to play music that they enjoy and sounds great. So what are you waiting for?!

Let me show you how the pros do it and let’s melt some faces with epic guitar mastery!

Ages (6 & up)

To maintain the skills needed for different teaching styles, I proportionately balance my student roster between children, teens, and adults. This ensures that I deliver the most effective teaching method for all lessons.

Styles

Anything goes! I’ve had the pleasure of teaching and performing almost everything. Blues, Jazz, Classical, Country, Bluegrass, Rock, Metal, Reggae, Latin, etc. They all use the same musical alphabet, with a different focus on technique and theoretical concepts:)

Music Production, Piano, & Vocal Lessons

Music Production

From the basics to more advanced principles in production, we’ll get you up to speed on how to use your DAW to its full potential. We use both Mac and PC in the studio with our go-to software choices being Reaper, Cubase, Reason, and Ableton Our plugin library is massive and we can definitely help you learn all the ins-and-outs of your software instruments, effects, and production plugins.

Piano Lessons

Much like my approach to guitar and bass lessons, my piano instructor uses a dynamic teaching style to teach to a students interest and learning style. Gone are the days, where you could only find teacher who taught classical piano. Piano has evolved to include playing a variety of styles including Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Pop, and even Prog!

So what are you waiting for? Maybe you want to shred some 80’s Van Halen keyboard, bust out some Jerry Lee Lewis Boogie, arrange a piano solo of a Lady Gaga tune, or travel way back in time for a Bach Two Part Invention. Come on in and let us show you how its done.

Vocal Lessons

Whether you’re soothing the classical soul with a beautiful Aria or screaming out the lyrics of a Killswitch Engage tune, the key to singing success is good technique. Without proper technique and care for your voice, you’ll lack singing endurance and can even do irreversible damage to your vocal chords. Come on in and let us show you the proper breathing, techniques, and exercises that will keep your voice in tip-top shape.

Music for Young Children

Music for Young Children

I offer a fun an exciting program for kids ages 5-8, who’ve shown an interest in music but have no strong pull to one specifically . In the lessons we explore varying aspects of music with a heavy emphasis on rhythm an composition/improv. Kids will learn to play a variety of instruments such as Ukulele, Guitar, Boomwhackers, Keys/Piano, and Percussion (Cajon, Bongos, Shakers, Tamborine etc.). In addition, part of the lessons are spent recording and learning about making music on a computer and/or tablet. Kids develop the fundamentals used on all instruments and can switch focus at anytime to an instrument of their choice.

Other Services & Policies

Online Guitar Lessons

I currently teach online lessons using Whereby. Whereby is a fantastic video conference platform, as it’s simple and intuitive. It also doesn’t require a software download of any kind.

During COVID, online learning became the norm, but I’ve actually been teaching online lesson for almost 15 years! It was always an option for students that were unable to make their in-studio lesson because of traffic delays, illness, travel, snow days etc. Some student choose to be online because they live to far to drive. (Toronto, Halifax, Florida, Dubai, etc)

Guitar Repairs

Through the guitar side of my business, I also offer pro level guitar repairs done through Oakville repair tech Mark Atkinson. Mark is a highly accomplished guitar technician and custom pickup designer. Mark was the senior guitar tech for over 10 years at Toronto’s hottest vintage guitar store – Songbird Music. He’s worked for many well known artists coming through Toronto such as, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Feist, Arcade Fire, Tom Cochrane, Bruce Cockburn, Marilyn Manson, Ron Hawkins, Sloan, Sam Roberts, Metric, 1979, Sum 41, Blue Rodeo, Sarah Harmer, Kim Mitchell, The Tea Party, and many others!

Strings and Accessories

Guitar students may also purchase strings, tuners, capos, cables, etc. at a discount through me on a quarterly basis. All orders go through Just Strings in the U.S. who offers very competitive rates to local retailers, that I in turn share with my students.

Policies

All lesson material is prepared in advance, allotting a certain amount of prep time for each student. As such, I don’t offer make ups for cancelled or missed lessons. I will provide you with your lesson material and a short video explanation if needed. I offer online lessons, if you you’re set up for it and are able to take advantage of the opportunity.

Payments are made monthly within the first week of lessons. Once processed, there are no refunds or credits for missed lessons.