Meet Maxwell - Piano, Stringed Bass, Voice, Guitar, Classical Guitar
I am from Long Valley, New Jersey; a rural town outside of New York City. I often took day trips into New York City with my family, and immersed myself in music well before my time, as well as my favorite current works.
All of my friends from school play instruments, and I spent most of my time in high school studying with mentors, teaching myself guitar and music theory, and performing for high school events.
This provided a foundation for me to integrate into UCLA's music community, where I independently studied piano and played with professional musicians of classical, jazz, and contemporary genres, while also studying with undergraduate music students, professors, and Los Angeles composers.
I conduct lessons as experiences that are tailored to each student. This will include encouraging them to follow their strengths, without neglecting all-around development. I prefer discussing music in familiar, relatable terms; lessons are an opportunity for me to help students talk about music in a way that is both visceral and academic.
I believe music lessons should be a dialogue between my students and myself, not a monologue. A conversation, not a lecture. I bring the knowledge and wisdom of music closer to my students so they can begin their discovery, and find solutions to their own creative problems.
Music demonstrates the divine and the ineffable, and I derive joy from teaching how to create it, and encouraging students to take risks and cultivate a love for practice.
I've been a private music instructor for five years, and I am continuing to teach in Washington DC. In addition to working with AWSOM, I'm an instructor of piano at The Studio in Georgetown, Washington DC.
My hobbies include yoga, martial arts, reading, writing, running, hiking and traveling.
““Max was an excellent Piano Teacher for our teenage son. Our son had piano lessons with several other Piano Teacher’s in the past, however the other piano teachers could only teach classical music and our son was interested in other genres, especially jazz. Max was able to teach our son a lot of jazz piano techniques and improvisation. We would highly recommend Max as a Piano Teacher!”
-Maria Samms
”Max is a fantastic influencer of budding musicians. His passion for the small bricks that build the bigger structures is inspiring.”
-Dylan Jacobus, Owner of OMS
”Max knows how to identify musical and perceptual boundaries, and how to get beyond them. He showed me the value of limitation, thematic development, and space.”
-Adam Kessler, UCLA alumni and professional musician.”
MONTHLY TUITION Rates
Find out what monthly tuition means here!
30 minutes $129
45 minutes $205
60 minutes $259