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With an expanded online lesson format
-with Zoom, Skype or FaceTime - Dr, Flippo uses multiple cameras for views of the keyboard, descriptive notes, diagrams on the music and face to face conversation.  After each lesson, he sends PDFs of lesson notes, diagrams and other lesson material. He also prints duplicate copies of each student piece for use during the lesson.  

Private Piano & Theory

Eclectic Studies

Built on a

Solid Foundation

Dr. Dave Flippo's 30 years of teaching and exploration offer custom made lessons from beginning to advanced levels a wide array of styles : traditional classical, blues and boogie, jazz and contemporary jazz, gospel, contemporary / popular music (60s' to the present), Broadway and musicals, ragtime and anything else you're into.  Pick from one or more of the focuses below and we can build from there ~

Composition Lesson

About Dave Flippo's Online Studiio

Dr. Flippo's Eclectic Music Studio

-Jazz and Blues -  All levels. Learn to visualize and feel chord voicings and scales that are the basis for Jazz and Blues. Build improvisation skills by creating rhythms and shapes over fundamental progressions and learning to "loosen up" and vary your ideas as you play.

Traditional Classical Piano - Begins with building a solid technique, reading skills in both notation and rhythm and leaning to make a beautiful tone at the piano. It focuses on interpretation, leaning good fingering and practice stills Aside from the classical repertoire from the Baroque to the present, arrangements of contemporary popular music, musicals, folk and ragtime can be added in according to the student's interests.  Learning chords is part of these lessons and more in depth theory and anlysis can be added if desired by the student.

Dr. Dave Flippo -  Background and Experience:

~ Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Composition/Theory with    emphasis on piano- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

~ Masters of Music in Music Composition/Theory with emphasis on piano-Eastman School of Music, Rochester New York.

~ Bachelor of Arts in Theory/Compositions - Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA.

~ Private Jazz Studies (post Doctoral) with Alan Swain, Evanston, IL

~ Jazz Arranging Classes - DePaul University with Cliff Colnot, Chicago IL

~ Indian Performance Practice and Theory - with bansurist Lyon Leifer, Morton Grove, IL

Teaching Experience and Teaching Locations

~ Dr. Flippo's Eclectic Music Studios  - 1987 to Present. Private Jazz and Classical Piano; 

Theory / Composition lesson from Dave's home studio in Skokie. Also offers teaching in the home for neighboring area.

~ College of Lake County  - 1995 to Present -  Private Jazz and Classical Piano Instructor. Also Theory  and Music Literature.

~ Triton College  - 2012 to Present -Music Instructor  in Music Appreciations, theory / composition and class piano -  no private lessons classes preesently.  

~ Swain Music Studios  - (closed) 1988-2006 - Private jazz and classical piano instructor. Also theory / composition.

-Since the onset of Covid 19, Dave has developed his online studio and teaching techniques for private lessons as well as his classroom teaching.  The multicamera technique allows him to switch the focus to the hands or to worksheets which illustrate musical concepts -  fingering, analysis and practice suggestions.  Dave uses a high quality professional microphone for best sound quality and often asks students to purchase an inexpensive USB microphone to heighten the quality and clarity of the sound.  Another successful option has been to request students record pieces for analysis in the lesson.  This can be done using commom programs such as Quicktime and Windows Camera.  Videos can be uploaded to Youtube on a private setting and shared with the instructor during the lesson or shared with Dropbox. 

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