To Breathe. To Be Aware. To Listen and Feel. Practice Gratitude.
Learning music using a holistic approach helps to unlock that internal mechanism often referred to as the spirit. These lessons are designed to integrate all aspects of music from its therapeutic and metaphysical characteristics, as well as the scientific and mathematical elements. The discipline necessary for mastering each skill is found in the art of practice. This practice involves Gratitude, Patience, Humility and Technique.
Lessons Offered
Music Composition • Piano • Didjeridu • Music Theory
PIANO
Let’s begin by taking a deep breath…
Yo! I’m Kennedy, a composer/musician, and sound researcher. My work spans an array of genres and is intended to encourage gratitude and appreciation for self expression. In your lesson, we will engage all the senses while learning the skills necessary to fully appreciate playing and listening to music.
My approach is largely holistic, centering around breathing, self awareness, expression, and ecoacoustics or sound ecology.
A typical lesson will include setting intensions, improvisation, exploration of traditional and contemporary practices, and lots of laughs.
I am extremely patient and encouraging with all students who range in skillset, interests, and goals. In person lessons offered in Portland, OR.
As a student you will have access to some groovy music as well as supplemental lessons like the ones found below. Check them out!
Hedwig’s Theme-Harry Potter
Für Elise Part 1
theme from Mimic ON ROBLOX
The Crawling Spider
DID YOU KNOW? The pianoforte came to us centuries ago around the year 1700 and was invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori. Today there are many versions of this instrument as well as playing styles and genres. Whether you’re learning to play Mozart, Beyoncé, or Tupac, we will dive deep into the realness of piano and music theory.
D i d j e r i d u
Didjeridu/Yidaki
The didjeridu comes to us from the Indigenous Peoples of Australia. Its origin is ancient and spiritual as they come. There are many names for this instrument such as mako and yidaki, and are traditionally crafted from termite hollowed Eucalyptus. Learning this instrument is rewarding as it connects your body directly to the sound using your breath, lips, and voice. These lessons are donation based.
C o m p o s i t i o n
The Art and Craft
of music composition is unique to each attempts the craft. Creating music that has authenticity and integrity through intention is my daily practice. Learning new techniques and processes of writing music is the objective of these lessons. An exploration of traditional and contemporary methods, coupled with experimentation will assist in keeping your imagination vibrant and free.
Music Theory
Understanding Music Theory
Can be quite tricky, but remembering that theory is best learned through practice rather than simple memorization and arbitrary numbers. For instance, 4/4 at the beginning of the staff looks like a fraction. In fact, it is not. It is a time signature which is a way of metering music to help us create rhythmic illusions, which helps us to move the music through time. So the first number (or top number) denotes, the number of beats in a measure. The second or bottom number tells us how the pulse is metered. So 4/4 means there are 4 beats in the measure and the quarter note is the pulse. 3/8 simply means that there are 3 beats in a measure, and the eigth note is the pulse. Let’s practice! Sign-up for a lesson.
S o u n d S e n s e
