Michael L. TakeLessons Instructor ukulele, guitar, song-Writing, Keyboard, Writing (Children's Books, Fiction, Memoir) Montrose Ave., Brooklyn, NY

MUSIC:

Michael has been a New York-based musician for six years. In 2006, Michael released his debut album as a singer-songwriter MY FAVORITE PLACE TO DROWN, on indie-label Acefu Records, and toured nationally with They Might Be Giants. Michael even appeared in a Vh1 promo performing his original jingle "You're the Vh1 For Me". Michael plays indie-rock and surf guitar in The New Jerk Times and La Laque, has played on bills with notable artists Moby, Regina Spektor, Kimya Dawson, TV On the Radio, and Grizzly Bear. Michael has been teaching private lessons in songwriting, ukulele, guitar, and piano for three years. He has worked as a substitute at The School of Rock and has performed ukulele workshops with children at various elementary schools, writing songs with children of various ages.

WRITING:

Michael graduated with honors from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in English, concentration in fiction writing. Michael has worked as screenwriter, children's writer, memoirist, and fiction writer. He wrote a feature horror-movie script for RKO pictures, wrote illustrated fiction paperbacks for Scholastic's READ 180 literacy program, and has recently finished his first fiction novel. Michael's first picture book, "My First Ghost" will be published by Hyperion in Spring, 2010. Michael has guest-lectured on writing and storytelling at Parsons College.

MUSIC:

I don't have a set curriculum. I make it my goal to help the student learn what he or she wants. I usually ask the student for songs they'd like to learn and then I teach those songs. That helps inspire students to practice. I don't guilt or shame or punish students because I think playing music should be about enjoyment and inspiration, not fear of shame. I love to train students' ears, to help them hear different musical possibilities. I teach students to experiment, to creatively cover or arrange other people's songs, and to write their own songs. I'll often teach music theory as well, but only when it can be applied easily to help the student write songs or understand how a song works, to explain the tricks of music that the student likes, so they can use these tricks in their own songs. I also often will play along with my students on piano or percussion to help them learn how to play confidently with other musicians.

WRITING:

I introduce students to the inner workings of plot, character, conflict, premise, guiding principal, and pacing which can be applied to any medium or genre of writing. We will analyze great stories to understand how they work. And we will work to find what the student personally wants to express, to discover the student's unique perspective and voice. I can teach grammar and vocabulary if necessary, but I am much more interested in focusing on content, story, meaning, and expression.

folk, rock, pop, surf, indie-rock, jazz, writing (fiction, memoir, non-fiction, children's writing, screenwriting)

ukulele, guitar, song-Writing, Keyboard, Writing (Children's Books, Fiction, Memoir)