Alexander Denison - BIO

Alex has been playing music since the 6th grade. He started as a drummer, later picking up the guitar in middle school, and has continued to play music since. In the past four years, Alex has pursued music academically, completing an Associates Degree in general music with jazz guitar as his primary instrument at Holyoke Community College, and is currently working on obtaining his Bachelor's Degree in music education and Massachusetts teaching license after transferring to Westfield State University. This has resulted in Alex having a diverse background of musical experiences, including theory, ear training, music history, recording/music tech, and playing/performing experience with guitar, percussion, piano, and voice, primarily in ensemble settings or other student performances.

My goal is to design a lesson plan which is built around
whatever inspires the student...

My Approach to Teaching

I believe that music is for everybody. Music is so deeply a part of the human experience, on both the cultural and physiological levels, our brains and body perceive music as if it were a basic biological function. More than anything, I want students to see the beauty of music and learn to love it as a process of lifelong learning, wherever they decide to take it. Put in a more practical sense, my goal is to design a lesson plan which is built around whatever inspired the student to come take lessons in the first place, and to tie in the practical building blocks, like technique and theory, in a way that is fun, engaging, and allows the student to see their progress in practice. I also believe my history of being mostly self taught until college can offer a unique perspective on self assessment, and the roadblocks students may run into.