Greetings!
My name is Scott Purchase, and I have over 15 years of experience teaching people like you to love music like I do. Do you have an old flute in your closet that you’re ready to dust off? Do you want your children to gain the wonderful benefits of music education in a personalized environment? Ever wonder what it would be like to lead a sing-song by the campfire? Are you longing for the feeling of pride and accomplishment you had with your high school band or choir, but don’t know how to begin? Do you have poetry inside your head that you’d love to express in the form of a song? Do you really want to join your church band and play “Amazing Grace” on the alto saxophone? All of these goals and more have been accomplished by students of mine with my support and expertise.
I am someone who values keeping lessons on time and fun, and my entire philosophy is based more on individual relationships with students rather than focusing on a curriculum. My musical journey has taken me from teaching kids as young as 4 to as old as 94, through a huge range of instruments and skill sets, beginner to advanced depending on the needs and interests of the students. I value each student keeping a personalized notebook with my detailed notes of what is covered each lesson which helps them practice productively for the next session and get stronger results quickly. I believe in building self esteem towards a person’s own musical sound – it’s about the journey, not the destination.
As a private teacher, I have taught lessons on: flute, clarinet, oboe, bass clarinet, alto/tenor/baritone/soprano saxophone, French horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, acoustic/electric guitar, electric bass, drum set, voice/music theatre, recorder, ukulele, conducting, song-writing, jazz piano, and both formal and informal classes on music theory/history. In all cases, the content and delivery of these lessons was student-focused, based on their passions. Often the relationship began with “I want to learn ______, can you help me?” My answer has always been “Of course, let’s get started right away!” If you are interested in becoming a multi-instrumentalist, we can break down lessons into multiple instruments and you can build skills slowly on each one you wish to play – for example: 30 minutes guitar, 20 minutes piano, 10 minutes voice.
One disclaimer for any student looking to take lessons with me is this – learning to play a musical instrument is hard work. While I can coach you and give you solid feedback, the work must be done by you and most of the productivity is accomplished outside of the lessons, then reinforced in the lessons. Make a plan to practice at least 15 minutes every day if you want what we do in lessons to be of maximum value.
“Where passion meets potential”
