Background
Eugene currently teaches private upright and electric bass lessons at the Eastman Community Music School. Formerly, he taught at the Lagond Music summer program from 2013-2019, where he teaught ensembles, improvisation, theory, groove/rhythm, and bass lessons. Eugene graduated from the Eastman School of Music in August 2020 with a Master’s of Music degree in Music Education.
Teaching Philosophy
“My goal is to provide individualized instruction for my students in order to prepare them for for any musical situation that they may encounter. I have worked with students of all ages and skill levels, ranging from absolute beginners to advanced players preparing for college auditions or the NYSSMA solo festival. I develop my students’ skills using a combination of repertoire, ear training, music theory, and technique. With these techniques, I aim to give my students practical knowledge that they can use any time they play with other musicians, including how to lock in with an ensemble, how to approach new music, and how to deal with tricky passages, among many other things.
In private lessons, these skills and techniques apply much more directly to the bass. With jazz lessons, for example, I spend a lot of time dealing with the fundamentals of walking bass lines. I teach my students how to construct bass lines on common jazz repertoire using a combination of aural skills and applied theory, and I teach them how generate good tone and avoid injury with technique. I also teach melodic playing and improvisation using the same approaches, and I used skills and knowledge gained in each area to advance ability in the others. For lessons in other styles, such as classical, funk, and rock, I use very similar teaching methods, but the exact repertoire and musical content is of course adjusted to be stylistically appropriate.”
Lessons and Rates
Eugene currently offers private lessons on both upright and electric bass to students of any age or skill level. At this time he is offering 60-minute lessons at $75 per lesson either in-person or online.