Heather Bouton drum set & percussion
Heather's been playing drum set & percussion since the age of 10. Heather started out like many of the students she teaches in grade school band. Under director Gene Vanden Bosch she continued playing in high school marching and jazz band. "Mr. Vanden Bosch brought out the best in me and helped me to realize that music was something I shoud consider as a career." After high school, Heather studied at Elgin Community College, Northen Illinois University, and DePaul University School of Music where she has made a name for herself as a well-round percussionist. Playing in various bands and combos of all styles, Heather encourages her students to be versatile and dynamic players.
Jeff Lange guitar
Jeff is a studio and live guitarist that has played throughout the Chicagoland area since the age of 18. His current band, Last Horizon, showcases his outstanding ability to create melodic riffs that support the vocalist as well as shredding guitar solos. He is classically trained in music theory and has been teaching since 2000. Jeff emphasizes to his students the importance of knowing and understanding the fret board to form chords and develope their soloing ability. Jeff specializes in teaching acoustic and electric guitar, lead and rhythm, theory as well as ear training, reading notation and tabs, scales, sweeps, and tapping.
What will a student learn taking lessons from you?
"I tailor my teaching methods to the student's ability/needs. I emphasize that all students learn the fret board, have good timing, be able to play on a beat, play exercises/warm-ups, scales, chords, and have the ability to read a chord chart. For each student there will be a progressive note per lesson, as this will track the student's progess. The student and I will set goals, and together, try to reach each goal. Students will learn from my Guitar Primer Guide that has essential information in it guitarists of all levels. I put it together in my years of learning and teaching from multiple resources. In addition to my primer guide, a method bood will be recommended for students to learn from as well."
"Students should have some basic tools such as a tuner, metronome, peg winder (for strings), and of course a guitar and picks! When I feel a student has reached a set amount of goals that are realistic and measurable, we will pick a song to learn and play along with, applying the techniques and theory they've been practicing."
Eric Bouton bass
Eric has played in bands ranging in style from punk to blues and Motown to rock. He began teaching at Heather's Studio so that he could pass on knowledge to aspiring bass players. Eric was trained in performance at DePaul University School of Music and at University of Illinois at Chicago. He offers his students instruction that capitalizes on their strengths and works with them to develope their weaknesses. Eric encourages students to play with other musicians as much as possible, listen to music, and have fun.