There is a lot going on in music. I'm here to help.
Composition & Music Theory Lessons
I offer private instruction in composition and music theory both in person and online. I operate out of Manhattan and have four open spaces in my teaching studio for private instruction in composition or music theory. I’m proud to say I’ve helped musicians develop at all stages, expanding their artistry and understanding of music. This includes helping young beginners, high school student get accepted into university, tutoring those already in college and helping them thrive in their undergraduate and graduate music degrees and even mature age students looking to deepen their expertise.
"So you teach music composition and theory. What does that include exactly?"
Well there is a lot that comes under those umbrellas, but a rough guide of things I can help you with include:
Music composition/composing lessons
Standard western notation & music literacy
Notation software (Sibelius) & copying
Tonal harmony
Post-tonal and atonal harmony including serialism a twelve note music
Set theory
Counterpoint
Fugue writing
Instrumentation & orchestration
Musicianship & ear training
MICHAEL'S TEACHING BACKGROUND
Leveraging his extensive experience as a composer and academic, Michael is a passionate educator having taught both privately and within leading institutions, sharing his knowledge of composition, music theory, piano and voice with aspiring musicians of all ages. Most recently, he was a teaching assistant at the New England Conservatory of Music for graduate music theory under the supervision of Bert Van Herrick. His responsibilities included tutoring students, grading assignments, administering exams and working to address the individual needs of students to ensure they thrived in the conservatory. From 2010-2014 he was a tutor of music at St George’s College which included helping residents with music theory, voice, keyboard and composition and concurrently he also taught beginner and advanced music appreciation classes for music theory and composition to the public. With a very personal and relatable teaching style, he has taught privately for nearly a decade, breaking down complicated subjects from music to mathematics and chemistry.
“When studying music in my first year of college I struggled to get my head around some tricky music theory concepts. Thankfully I got in touch with Michael who was a fantastic tutor. With his help I was able to pass the units with flying colors. He explained everything in a way that I could understand and never forget. I am now really confident with music theory in my role as a high school music educator. Michael is a knowledgeable, professional and friendly tutor and I highly recommend him!”
Bernardine Grigson
Teacher at International School of Indiana
Indiana, US
“Michael was a very helpful and patient music theory tutor during my undergraduate music studies. He has a huge amount of subject knowledge and was able to help me understand concepts in a very supportive manner. I would highly recommend you get Michael to be your music tutor!”
Mona Khosraviani
Teacher at John Curtin College of the Arts
Fremantle, Australia