Lesson Info
Here's what to expect when you sign up for lessons and also some info about the lessons Todd offers:
Todd teaches weekly and, if absolutely necessary, bi-monthly lessons (Every-other-week). He teaches drum lessons at all skill levels and also beginner and intermediate guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons. Generally, 8 years old is a good all around starting age for a beginner student. Learning an instrument really depends on the student's self awareness and motivation so some students may be ready earlier. Todd has taught students younger than 8 as well as adults of all ages. Gevry Music does not discriminate because of a student's age, race, creed, etc. so give it try!
In-Person Lessons
Todd does house calls within a half-hour driving range of Milton, VT (15-20 miles). This is a convenient option for those who wish to stay home and take in-person music lessons in the comfort of their own home.
​
Online Video Lessons
Todd also teaches online video lessons through Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc. It is preferable that the student uses a desktop or laptop computer connected directly to the router via an Ethernet cable. Other options work but for the best connectivity, reliability, and experience, the above configuration is most desirable and highly recommended. Please make sure that laptops, iPads, and phones are charged if using these options and if using Wi-Fi, try to get as close to your router as possible.
Playing In A Band Is Fun!
Forming a band is often the end result of learning how to play an instrument. Todd encourages all of his students to play with other musicians for greater enjoyment, further education, and experience.
​
Rates
In-Person Lessons:
$45/half-hour and $70/hour.
Online Video Lessons:
$40/half-hour and $60/hour.
Band Coaching:
$80/hour.
Policies
Todd has a 24-hour cancellation policy. In the event that the student needs to cancel, a 24-hour notice is required to avoid paying a full lesson payment for the time-slot. Todd will try to reschedule if possible. The student can cancel or preferably reschedule their lesson within a 24 window free of charge. More notice is obviously preferable for any schedule changes.
Mission
Todd aims to teach each student with the focus on fun while teaching exactly what the student wants to learn. He uses a general curriculum of core techniques that every student must know then branches out into a custom curriculum for each student's needs and desires. Each student takes their own musical journey with some professional guidance.
Student Requirements/Materials
It is required that each student provide their own instrument. However, if you don't own a guitar yet, Todd can provide an extra guitar for the first lesson to see if the instrument is a good fit. Students will need to own their own guitar thereafter to practice on outside the lesson. REHEARSAL ON THE STUDENT'S OWN TIME IS CRUCIAL FOR IMPROVEMENT AND ENJOYMENT! So, practice, practice, practice!
​
Drum Student Material Requirements
For drummers, students are responsible for providing their own drum kits, concert snare drums, or practice pads and sticks. Todd brings an extra set of drum sticks in case the student has broken or misplaced theirs and has not had a chance to replace them before the next lesson. THE STUDENT WILL NEED DRUM STICKS BEFORE THE NEXT LESSON IN ORDER TO PRACTICE!
Guitar, Bass, & Ukulele Student Material Requirements
Students will need a tuner to tune their guitar, bass, or ukulele, picks if they wish to use them, and a metronome to help keep them in time when practicing. Free tuner and metronome apps are available on the internet for download onto iPods or smartphones. Physical tuners and metronomes are also available for purchase online and more importantly, at your local music stores. Todd recommends "Music & Arts" (formerly "Advance Music") on Maple Street in Burlington for any music related items but there is also a "Guitar Center" near Best Buy in Williston if that is closer to you.
Music & Arts
(formerly Advance Music):
Guitar Center:
https://stores.guitarcenter.com/williston?source=4SOSWXXN
Written Music/Sheet Music/Handouts
Every student will learn how to read music unless they are strongly against it or if reading music works against the learning process somehow. Written music is an important element to structured progress and a great way for teachers and composers to convey ideas and provide visual practice tools. Todd provides basic sheet music and has a roster of songs to choose from but in many cases a book will be used as well. Students will be required to purchase the book themselves. Todd can provide a link to it online or will recommend a store to purchase it from.
EVERY STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A FOLDER TO KEEP HANDOUTS IN! TODD WILL NOT REPRINT HANDOUTS MULTIPLE TIMES DUE TO LOST MUSIC! In the event that a piece of music is lost or destroyed, Todd will email you a digital copy and you can print it at home. He will only reprint something if absolutely necessary so please BE RESPONSIBLE!
Playing Along With Your Favorite Recordings is the ultimate fun!
One of Todd's specialties is teaching students how to play to recorded music. There's nothing more fun than playing along to your favorite songs! Todd brings along an MP3 player with a large catalog of songs and also has a smartphone to connect to the internet for any songs he doesn't have. He will need to use your Wi-Fi connection for this service. Todd's guitar amp, Bluetooth Speaker, or a splitter is plugged into the iPod to allow both the teacher and the student to hear the song simultaneously. Mostly for drummers, using the splitter to split the signal for two people and using 2 sets of headphones (which Todd can also provide but the student will need their own headphones for practicing outside the lesson anyway) both Todd and the student can hear the song simultaneously. The student plays the song while Todd monitors their progress. For drummers, Todd uses four folders of songs containing ten essential songs each. Folder 1 is designed for Beginners, Folder 2 for Intermediate Players, Folder 3 is designed for Upper Intermediate to Beginning Experts, and Folder 4 is for Experts only. Drummers are required to learn at least SOME of these songs to build ESSENTIAL skills needed to move forward. After some basic skills are established, students are encouraged to choose their own songs.
Tablature, an instrument-specific form of simple music notation, can be used as a visual aid to help teach students how to play a song. Tablature or "TABS" can be downloaded off the internet and printed out or viewed on-screen as an alternative to traditional music notation. The other form of free sheet music you will find is called a "Lead Sheet".
Lead sheets and TABS aren't always correct straight off the internet since they are free and created by a variety of musicians at different skill levels so if a piece needs to be customized, Todd can correct or overhaul the lead sheet to be 100% accurate for teaching for a fee of $10. He can also transcribe a piece of music from scratch for a fee of $10 unless the piece of music is complicated or lengthy, at which time he will consult you with a custom price.
Aside from the four drum lesson MP3 folders, Todd also has a free catalog of songs to choose from for guitar, bass, and ukulele. If none of the songs appeal to you, you can go on the internet and find a song for free or buy it off a website. Google is a very powerful tool and you can usually find what you need. Todd can also help find the song the student is looking for and more importantly, show the student how to find it themselves as part of their education. Doing your own legwork for your own studies is crucial to the learning process!
NOW LET'S PLAY SOME MUSIC!!!