Teaching subjects: Guitar, Piano, Bass Guitar, Mandolin, Ukulele, Composition, Musicianship
Ages: 8+
Styles: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Mandolin, Ukulele (all levels and styles); Piano (contemporary, blues, and improvisation – no classical)
Specialties: Improvisation, Composition, Music Theory, Music Production
Scott is an award-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist, instructor, and collaborator spanning two decades’ professional experience in performance, music instruction and composition for film and other media. He has worked for Flying Foot Forum, Ethnic Dance Theatre, and Plymouth Playhouse. He composes and produces music for film, theatre, podcasts, and radio. Scott also performs with Orkestar Bez Ime (OBI), an award-winning Twin Cities group that specializes in folk music from the Balkan and Eastern European regions.
Scott graduated with a B.A. in Music from the University of Minnesota – School of Music, where he focused on Composition and Guitar. He studied Composition under the guidance of Alex Lubet and Doug Geers.
As a composer, Scott has had experience working in a wide variety of styles over the last twenty years, from orchestral to jazz to Americana to electronic. He has also focused on ethnic/world folk music in his work, wherein he has specialized in Irish/Celtic and Eastern European styles.
Since 2002, Scott has composed music for theatre, dance, short films, and feature length documentaries. He has been a music director/arranger for Brave New Workshop, and has helped to produce several albums.
In 2012, as a member of Balkan/Eastern European ensemble Orkestar Bez Ime (OBI), Scott won the Emerging Composers Award from the American Composers Forum. The ACF award inspired the OBI album “Unveiled – Live at The Celtic Junction” (2014), for which Scott contributed two pieces. He has most recently produced a solo album “Solo Guitar – Vol. 1” (2018) which features his original compositions for solo acoustic guitar.
Scott brings a vast range of musical knowledge and experience to his students. His focus is to allow students to learn their instrument and, in doing so, teach them how to have fun playing music. While Scott understands the importance of teaching students to read music, he also offers the opportunity for students to learn by ear, while developing technique on their instrument. To more advanced students, he offers the opportunity to explore different styles of playing, and the opportunity to learn improvisation.
Payments are arranged in 4-lesson packages; tuition must be paid after every fourth (4th) lesson.
Single Lessons (Guitar, Bass Guitar, Mandolin, Ukulele):
30 min. – $30
45 min. – $45
60 min. – $60
Single Lessons (Piano):
30 min. – $30
45 min. – $45
60 min. – $60
All students must be vaccinated. No exceptions.
In order to ensure a mutually respectful program of music lessons, the following must be observed by both the teacher and students:
Time Commitment:
To ensure focus, students should commit to continue with music studies with teacher for a period of at least eight weeks. After that point, students can reassess if they would like to continue. Scott reserves the right to modify this requirement if he determines that a student would be better served by another teacher.
Lesson Preparation:
In order to make progress and reach goals, it is very important for students to put in time and effort to practice and prepare in between lessons. Students should work on assignments from the most recent lesson plan provided (usually emailed within 3 days after a lesson). Students should bring handouts and assignments from previous lessons to every lesson thereafter.
Scheduling:
Lessons must be scheduled at least one week in advance. Regularly scheduled lessons (e.g., same time every Monday) should be booked in advance for the entire month.
Cancellations:
Cancellations require at least 48-hour notice except in an emergency that directly impacts student’s or teacher’s ability to safely attend lessons (e.g., accident or illness that prevents either student or teacher from playing safely or poor weather conditions making it unsafe to travel to lessons, etc.).
There is no refund for missed (no-show) or cancelled lessons. Students are required to pay for any lessons they cancel or miss. Students must mail payment within 24 hours of their cancelled or missed lessons. Scott will make every effort to be flexible in rescheduling, but make-up lessons are not guaranteed.
If Scott must reschedule or cancel a lesson, that lesson will be rescheduled at no additional cost to student.
Scott offers online lessons through Zoom, Facetime, Skype and Google Meet and will begin offering in-person lessons starting April 1, 2022
All students must be vaccinated. No exceptions
Sundays – 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Mondays – 3:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Tuesdays – 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Wednesdays – 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Thursdays – 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Saturdays – 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
(Fridays unavailable)