Thomas W. TakeLessons Instructor music, band, orchestra, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, french horn,... Downingtown, PA

Thomas (b. 1973) is an active music teacher, composer, adjudicator, and clinician in the greater Philadelphia area. He has over ten years experience as a concert band director, marching band director, jazz improvisation instructor, choral director, private instructor, and marching drill writer. His directing career has included small rural band programs, small metro programs, large high-achieving suburban programs, and non-profit youth bands. In addition to his band compositions, he also has over forty unpublished vocal arrangements to his credit, most written for use with collegiate men's a cappella groups.

Thomas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from The Pennsylvania State University with Master's equivalency. He holds a teaching certificate in the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has taught at the secondary level in both states. In addition to both instrumental and choral ensembles at Penn State, Thomas was a student leader in the Penn State Blue Band and a member of the brass section of the Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps in 1993 and 1994. He served as an Associate Director of the Warren Junior Military Band of Youngstown, Ohio from 1995 to 2005. He also served as a visual staff member for the renowned North Penn Marching Knights of Lansdale, PA for one season in 2004.

He is a current adjudicator with the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) and Cavalcade of Bands. He is a member of MENC, PMEA, NJMEA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the National Band Association. He appeared in the Marquis Who's Who Among American Educators in 2004 and 2005, an honor rarely bestowed upon teachers, as students who appear in the Who’s Who Among American High School Students must nominate them. He currently is a music teacher at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts of the PA Leadership Charter School in West Chester, PA and resides in Downingtown, PA with his wife and two sons.

My lessons are tailored to the needs and interests of each student. If a student is involved in school music ensembles, we will work with their lesson books from school in addition to material outside of the books. We will focus on building proper tone production and individual technique - something that often is difficult to learn in a large ensemble setting.

I am capable of starting a beginner student on any band instrument including percussion, any classical string instrument (violin, viola, cello, string bass), and piano. I can begin a student on drum set and work with them through their first method book, but I would then recommend they find a specialized drum set teacher after a period of six to twelve months.

For advanced students, I work from selected conservatory etude books on developing advanced skills and can work with students on audition pieces for honors bands/orchestras or college auditions.

My lessons are a half-hour once a week, with the option of working for 45 minutes or 60 minutes. I travel to the student's home and deliver instruction for your convenience. I do not charge students for my travel expenses. I do offer make-up lessons when appropriate.

classical, jazz improvisation

music, band, orchestra, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, violin, viola, cello, string bass, piano, Percussion

Leslie Woodward
Assistant Principal, Lindenwold High School
801 Egg Harbor Road, Lindenwold, New Jersey 08021

Andrea Quinn
String Specialist, Lindenwold High School
801 Egg Harbor Road, Lindenwold, New Jersey 08021

Robert Kennedy
Band Director, Penndale Middle School
400 Penn Street, Lansdale, Pennsylvania 19446

Paul Brizzi
Director of Bands (Retired), Ankeny High School
809 Northwest School Street, Ankeny, Iowa 50021

Judith Cartwright
Executive Director, Warren Jr. Military Band
P.O. Box 2245, Youngstown, Ohio 44504

Chris Foster
Director of Bands, Warren Local High School
130 Warrior Drive, Vincent, Ohio 45784

Christopher Bennett
Director of Bands, Ida High School
3145 Prairie Street, Ida, Michigan 48140

Calvin Barto
Principal, Muncy Jr./Sr. High School
200 West Penn Street, Muncy, Pennsylvania 17756

Robert Rivera
Director of Bands, Sarah Starkweather Elementary School
1050 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382

Kenneth Fuette
Director of Bands, Exton Elementary School
301 S. Hendricks Ave. Exton, PA 19341

Roberta Gettis
Principal, Exton Elementary School
301 S. Hendricks Ave. Exton, PA 19341