Correspondence Lessons with Steve Carter

Hardware⁄software requirements:

 

How the lessons work:

Prior to your first lesson, you'll email me a brief description of your music background, your interests, and what areas you would like to explore in your lessons. Also, you'll prepare an MP3 file of your playing. I'll listen to your recording, and, based on your background, your abilities, and your interests, I'll prepare a lesson.

My end of the lesson will consist of three parts:

1. Comments. A written evaluation of your recorded performance, with suggestions about what is good, and what needs work. Suggestions about what to practice to improve in certain areas. Responses to your questions.

2. Notated exercises.These will be custom exercises that I will write for you, aimed at a specific areas of your playing. Each exercise will be accompanied by a text file describing the purpose of the exercise; the best way to practice the exercise; suggestions for developing your own, related exercises; and tips on how to apply the technique in various music situations.

3. MP3 files. These will be recordings I make that will include a variety of things: my performance of a short piece demonstrating a particular technique, or to demonstrate a musical concept; duets or backing tracks for you to record your part over -- your part might be an exercise I wrote, or it might be your own composition or improvisation.

 

Your end of the lesson will consist of two parts:

1. Your recordings of the assigned exercises (or pieces, or improvisations, or whatever).

2. Any questions you have about the material, or about next steps. Any comments you want to make that might help us decide what to focus on in your next lesson.

 

The lesson materials will be posted to your private folder of my web site. I'll email you a password that will allow you to download my part of the lessons and upload your part of the lessons.

 

How payment works:

I charge $50 per hour. This means that for each lesson, I'll spend an hour working with you: reviewing your audio recordings and writing suggestions about them; writing responses to your questions; writing exercises for you; recording examples; and so forth.

Payment for each lesson is to be made after the lesson is complete. In other words, I post my lesson materials, you download them, practice them, make your recordings, write your questions and comments, upload them, and then you pay for that lesson. At that point, assuming you wish to proceed to the next lesson, I'll write my review of that lesson and begin working on materials for your next lesson. So, if after the first lesson, you feel this approach is not going to work for you, you don't owe me anything.  If at any point in the future you want to stop lessons, or just take a break, just send me an email.

 

Payment can be made through Paypal. (If that does not work for you, we can work out another payment method.)

 

To sign up for correspondence lessons, email me at scarter@frogstoryrecords.com