Lessons

Email – paul.kinkade@gmail.com – or call/text 952-380-6995 to book a lesson!

My studio is on Franklin & Lasalle Ave (map).

Biography:

I have played piano my whole life, and I also play guitar and trumpet. I love jazz, classical, rock, contemporary music and many other diverse styles. I am an improviser, composer, and music theory enthusiast, very in touch with the creative side of music. I have performed in symphony orchestras, rock bands, jazz combos, brass quintets, and electronic music recordings. I have a B.A. in Music from the University of Minnesota and I currently play mostly jazz and classical music. I also meditate, and I’m interested in combining meditation with music.

My Teaching Philosophy:

I am an easygoing and patient guy. I teach adults and kids, from beginners to more advanced players. I design a unique curriculum for each student based on their interests and needs. I can teach in traditional ways, or I can teach through call-and-response, improvisation, imitation, aural learning, transcription, and other organic and intuitive learning methods. I believe that playing music should be intrinsically rewarding, so I have students play music that they genuinely love. I believe in the value of music listening, having role models, and studying our favorite music. I love playing the piano, and I think I’d enjoy teaching you, so I hope you’ll contact me!

Here is an article I wrote for my studio’s blog:

The Importance of Goal-Setting in Music Lessons

Music lessons aren’t cheap. Students are paying for the undivided attention of someone with years and years of musical experience. The best way to ensure they get the maximum value out of this interaction, I think, is having a clear vision for the student’s future.

The student needs a goal that glitters to them. They should have an image of themself playing their dream music in their dream situation that makes them tingle with excitement. Where are they playing? With whom? What kind of music? What does it sound like? They should have players, even specific recordings, that make them say “I want to be able to play like that!” The teacher should give the student (and the student should seek out for themself) recordings of different performers and composers to listen to, to find out what they like listening to and who they want to imitate. The more clearly a student can imagine a musical future for themself that authentically excites them, the more motivated they will be to practice and to continue taking lessons, and the happier they will be.

Once the student has created this vision, the teacher’s job is to figure out what the student needs to do to get most efficiently from where they are to where they want to be. The teacher knows more than the student, so they can suggest things for the student to practice. But the more specifically they understand what the student wants to become, the more valuable their suggestions will be. Together, the teacher and student should come up with a week-by-week action plan. The more the student has a role in assigning their own practice goals, and the more they can see how what they’re practicing will lead directly to where they want to be, the more likely they’ll be to practice.

As time goes on, the student’s unique vision for their playing will become clearer and more particular. This is a good sign, because it means they are continuing to change and discover new music and new musical horizons. Because of this, the conversation about the student’s goals should be ongoing.

Having a clearly articulated goal should help the student draw the most out of the teacher’s well of knowledge. That way, the lessons will be worth every dollar. Personally, it makes me feel good knowing I’m able to offer a service to the world that’s of the maximum possible value.