About my teaching…

I have led horn masterclasses at St. Andrew's Middle School and North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Since I began teaching private lessons in 2019, I have taught group and individual lessons in horn, composition, and theory through the Aspen Music Festival's PALS program and through Classic Studios Music Academy, as well as privately. I currently operate the "Mammoth Music Games" at Classic Studios Music Academy, where students between the ages of 6 and 12 can drop in online each week for a variety of music theory-based activities in a game show format. My compositional output includes etudes for brass instruments, counterpoint exercises for my theory students, and a continuing series of commissions for Classic Studios Music Academy's "Giant Steps" beginner piano ensembles.

I am passionate about a holistic approach to music education--finding ways to motivate students to think beyond just the notes on the page. Regardless of my student's age or discipline, I constantly draw parallels between new and learned information to help them build their own network of comprehension instead of simply relying on a teacher or method book. My own musical journey has been an eclectic combination of orchestral horn playing, jazz trombone, tenor horn in British-style brass bands, rock drums, and classical piano, and these experiences have given me the skills to engage with a variety of musical materials with my students. Although I am passionate about teaching the core techniques required for success in both brass and composition/theory, I am happy to help my students perform and compose any music they are inspired to learn.

Testimonials:

"Michael made horn issues easy to grasp, allowing me to better implement my learning. Practicing my all state music with him not only gave me a solid foundational understanding of the specific techniques required for the pieces, but also improved my overall ability." - Corey

"Our 9 year old child has been learning from Michael for over 2 years, and he has been an amazingly inspiring teacher! He is extremely passionate about music, and our child looks forward to the lessons every week!" - Chieko

Where I teach…

For students in the Edmonton area and Sherwood Park, I am proud to teach brass, composition, music theory, and voice lessons through Classic Studios Music Academy, including the online weekly drop-in Mammoth Music Games for children between the ages of 6 and 12 included for free with Classic Studios music lessons.

For all other locations, I am happy to provide online lessons through Lessonface, as well as directly through Zoom if preferred.