For a lot of adults, lessons growing up made music feel like a test. Reading exercises, exam pieces, scales by metronome. Maybe you put the instrument down. Maybe you kept playing but never really felt like a musician. You were probably taught to fear music before you were taught to feel it. That's a fixable error.
The approach
Theory is what makes you smart. Ears are what makes you brilliant.
I'll teach you how to hear theory.
Most theory teaching is backwards — they give you the rules and hope you'll eventually feel them. I give you the feeling and then name it for you. Once you can hear it, the rules stop being abstract.
I'll teach you how to play your instrument.
Not just run patterns over chords. Real playing — phrasing that says something, not babbling while you solo. You already hear when a chord wants to resolve. We'll build on that.
I'll teach you how to hear any song and know what to play over it.
The thing every aspiring musician wishes they could do — sit in, jam, find the changes by ear instead of asking for a chart.
I'll teach you how to play within a key — and break out of it.
On purpose. Elegantly. A few simple rules that actually stick, and the rest unlocks fast. Six months in, you'll be doing things you didn't know were possible.
The work
Any instrument. Any style.
GuitarPianoBassVoice
Theory, ear training, improvisation, composition, arrangement, transcription, sight-reading. Pick what you actually care about. Most weeks we'll work on whatever you're stuck on — a song you can't crack, a solo that won't come together, a chord progression that confuses you. Real problems, not exercises.
The setup
Weekly is where it lives.
01
Format
In-person at the Toronto studio, remote (Zoom or FaceTime), or I'll travel to you.
02
Length
One hour standard. Longer if we're digging into something that needs the time.
03
Frequency
Weekly is what builds momentum. Bi-weekly works. Monthly tune-ups for advanced players who already know what they're doing.
04
First lesson
Bring whatever you've been stuck on. We'll figure out what's actually missing.
Location
In person or remote.
In-person lessons happen at my Roncesvalles studio just off Roncesvalles Avenue, with plenty of street parking on Geoffrey Street out front — easy to reach from High Park, Parkdale, Bloor West Village, the Junction, Trinity Bellwoods, Little Portugal, Little Italy, West Queen West, and Liberty Village. Remote lessons over Zoom or FaceTime work well for adults — the theory and ear training translate cleanly to a screen. Some students do hybrid: in person when they can, remote when they can't.
Rates
Honest pricing. No packages.
Pay per lesson. No packages, no long commitment.
At the studio
Per hour$100
At my home studio in Toronto. Longer sessions scale accordingly.
Remote
Per hour$100
Zoom or FaceTime. Same rate as in-studio.
Travel to you
Per hour$120–$150
Rate depends on distance. Minimum $120/hour. Get in touch to discuss your location.
Cancellations
Cancellations need 48 hours' notice — earlier than that, no problem at all.
Tell me what you're stuck on.
Tell me what you play, what you wish you could do, and what's been getting in the way. We'll figure out together whether this is a fit.
