Justin Walker - Rockledge Music Lessons

With every new student, we spend much of the first lesson discussing the student's goals, interests, and experience, and then jump right into making music. I assess the student's ability to grasp and retain concepts, which helps set the pace for future lessons. Finally, at the end of the lesson, we discuss optimal practicing schedules and material to practice for the next lesson. Beyond the first lesson, we work through material (whether it be individual songs or a lesson book), introducing concepts and working on technique along the way. For every instrument, I focus on creating a strong foundation that can then be used to sing or play in any style.

I have a Master of Music degree from the University of Louisville (Choral Conducting) and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Florida (Vocal Performance major, Professional Education minor).

I began teaching as a way to make extra money in high school. Upon graduating, I was hired by a music company in Florida to teach after-school music classes in local elementary schools, and fell in love with cultivating musicianship in others. When I was accepted to the University of North Florida, I started from scratch in a new location (Jacksonville, FL), and it was there that I developed my current style of teaching, combining standard technique with student goals and interests.

I have worked with students of all ages and skill levels.

I think my favorite projects are preparing students for auditions. While there is less time to really instill proper technique, it challenges me to distill my teaching to its essentials. In the best-case scenarios, these sort of projects will happen over the course of a few months, but often will have only a few weeks to pull together. Another favorite of mine is helping students with composition. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a musician is being able to write your own music.

There is more to teaching than simply being able to play. If you read nothing else here, hold the expectation that teachers should have a background in education. Check the qualifications of any teachers you are considering, and ask them any and all questions you can think of. Don't be afraid of annoying them; if they can't handle answering your questions, you will not meet your full potential with them. The other major comment I have is not to just settle on the lowest-price teacher you can find. A random teenager in the classified section is not going to give you the same quality of lessons as an experienced, qualified instructor, and I say that as someone who was the former at one point, as well. Along these lines, do not fall for any teacher that claims they can get you from A to B in any number of lessons. As every experienced teacher knows, there is a lot of variance between the progression of different students, to the point that any estimate given (especially before they have met you and heard you) is not going to be accurate.

How much time per day and per week am I willing to put into practicing? When would I like to reach my goals, and is that a realistic amount of time? Am I willing to pay for quality? Are there reviews for this teacher available, and are they from an independent source (such as Thumbtack.com)? As for what to ask a professional, you should ask them how much time you should expect to practice, and how soon you should expect to reach your goals (if you're expecting the answer to include the word "weeks", you're undershooting). If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.