About my teaching…

I am currently serve as a faculty member of The Juilliard School’s Extension Division, where I teach in the Ear Training department. I am also a teaching fellow in the Ear Training and Theory divisions of Juilliard’s College Division.

I have led horn masterclasses at St. Andrew's Middle School and North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Since I began teaching private lessons in 2019, I have taught group and individual lessons in horn, composition, and theory through the Aspen Music Festival's PALS program and through Classic Studios Music Academy, as well as privately. For several years I operated the "Mammoth Music Games" at Classic Studios Music Academy, where students between the ages of 6 and 12 could drop in online each week for a variety of music theory-based activities in a game show format. My compositional output includes etudes for brass instruments, counterpoint exercises for my theory students, and a continuing series of commissions for Classic Studios Music Academy's "Giant Steps" beginner piano ensembles.

I am passionate about a holistic approach to music education--finding ways to motivate students to think beyond just the notes on the page. Regardless of my student's age or discipline, I constantly draw parallels between new and learned information to help them build their own network of comprehension instead of simply relying on a teacher or method book. My own musical journey has been an eclectic combination of orchestral horn playing, jazz trombone, tenor horn in British-style brass bands, rock drums, and classical piano, and these experiences have given me the skills to engage with a variety of musical materials with my students. Although I am passionate about teaching the core techniques required for success in both brass and composition/theory, I am happy to help my students perform and compose any music they are inspired to learn.

Testimonials:

"Michael made horn issues easy to grasp, allowing me to better implement my learning. Practicing my all state music with him not only gave me a solid foundational understanding of the specific techniques required for the pieces, but also improved my overall ability." - Corey

"Our 9 year old child has been learning from Michael for over 2 years, and he has been an amazingly inspiring teacher! He is extremely passionate about music, and our child looks forward to the lessons every week!" - Chieko