"I am a classical music composer and theorist with a Ph.D. from NYU whose music has been performed in various venues in the U.S. including Weill Hall (part of the Carnegie Hall complex) and in Europe and Asia. Videos of my music are available on YouTube. I have taught music history and theory at various universities and colleges including NYU, SUNY at Fredonia, and Kingsborough Community College.

My traditional pedagogical approach takes the student from beginner to competent composer in graduated steps. For those students who wish to concentrate on music theory, I teach through examples taken from the literature of great musical works, emphasizing learning through doing.

I use a positive approach in tutoring that I learned from my mother’s attitude toward my education: praise any advancement and encourage the student after a setback. The tutor should be an exemplar of the joy of learning because ultimately it is through joy that the student will continue learning throughout his/her life. Those students committed to the subject generally consider me to be a charismatic teacher.

I also feel comfortable teaching beginning piano where I emphasize learning the structure of the music while developing performance skills.

In addition, my output as a poet, novelist and author of a Ph.D. dissertation as well as my lifelong addiction to reading qualifies me to teach history, literature and writing subjects." less...