Lessons That Work For You
We believe that the best teachers know how to be relevant to their students and balance this with giving them what they need. This is why we use a three pillared approach. This approach allows us to maximize fun, learning, and go in the proper direction.
1. We want to know what your goals are and what inspired you to take lessons.
This helps us to get an idea of how to structure your lesson and how to systematically help you move towards your goals and beyond. We find that our students tend to blow past their original goals and achieve beyond their expectations.
2. We want to teach you the proper way to play, while helping you to develop your own style.
We want our students to be able to play their instrument on a high level and know why they are playing what they are playing. We are happy to show you how the best musicians in the industry play while also helping you to develop your own creative voice on the drums.
3. We make sure our lessons are the perfect balance of instruction and fun.
We teach our students their favorite songs. We help our students make videos to show their friends. We talk about music's past, present and future so our students can appreciate the music on a deeper level. Learning drums is serious, but its also fun. Our biggest passion is passing along the love for music.
1. We want to know what your goals are and what inspired you to take lessons.
This helps us to get an idea of how to structure your lesson and how to systematically help you move towards your goals and beyond. We find that our students tend to blow past their original goals and achieve beyond their expectations.
2. We want to teach you the proper way to play, while helping you to develop your own style.
We want our students to be able to play their instrument on a high level and know why they are playing what they are playing. We are happy to show you how the best musicians in the industry play while also helping you to develop your own creative voice on the drums.
3. We make sure our lessons are the perfect balance of instruction and fun.
We teach our students their favorite songs. We help our students make videos to show their friends. We talk about music's past, present and future so our students can appreciate the music on a deeper level. Learning drums is serious, but its also fun. Our biggest passion is passing along the love for music.
"I want to inspire my students to love music and discover their best selves. The reason I started teaching music was because I had a music teacher that almost cost me my love of music. Now music is such a huge part of my life, I would be missing out on so much!" - Sam Barsi, Founder, Pilsen Music Studio
Our Teachers
Tiffany Leard - piano
Tiffany Leard has been a classical pianist since the age of four, and is a firm believer that the magic of music is found within everyone. Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, she moved to Chicago in 2018 and graduated with her Bachelors degree in piano performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. She has worked with several local Chicago bands, is a winner of multiple solo piano MTNA competitions, she also holds a National Piano Tournament Paderewski Gold Medal, was a scholarship recipient of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York, a former member of the Nevada School of Arts chamber program, and has actively participated in masterclasses around the country. She teaches beginner and intermediate lessons to students of all ages/skill levels and has a passion for fusing her love of philosophy, nature, culture, and appreciation for all styles of music into her lessons. She loves to collaborate with other artists, build community, and inspire others to experiment, challenge themselves, and tap into their artistic potential.
Madelyn Merrell - VOICE & PIANO
Madelyn Merrell is a singer, pianist, and educator that strives to make music lessons responsive to students’ needs and interests. She received her Bachelor of Music Education degree in voice from Jacobs School of Music, with minors in Conducting and General Music Education. Madelyn has performed with Indiana University’s Singing Hoosiers, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Besides her classical training, she has experience with musical theatre, contemporary music, and jazz. She is dedicated to sharing the joy of music with students of all ages and backgrounds!
Eric Butler - Voice, Guitar, & Piano
Eric Butler has been a singer, guitarist, and music educator in the Chicago area for more than 30 years. Exhibiting a natural talent for voice, he began singing in local cover bands throughout high school and college. During his college years he studied at Columbia College in Chicago majoring in music performance and sound design. Later, he worked as a side man with various artists around the Midwest. His current project, EBJ Band, is in high demand and plays weekly around Chicago and the suburbs.
Owen Garcia - Piano & Percussion
Owen Garcia is a piano, drums and percussion instructor who specializes in Jazz, Pop/Rock, Latin, Classical, and World Music. Fluent in both Espanol and English, Owen is a graduate of Elmhurst University with degrees in music performance and production. He has been playing percussion and piano for the majority of his life and is dedicated to passing along his knowledge and love for music to students young and old alike.
SAMuel Barsi - Guitar & Drum Set
"I want to inspire my students to love music and discover their best selves. The reason I started teaching music was because I had a teacher that almost cost me my love of music. Now music is such a huge part of my life, I would be missing out on so much!" - Sam Barsi, Founder, Pilsen Music Studio
Samuel Barsi grew up in a musical family and decided he wanted to take piano lessons at the young age of 6 years. After his first recital performance, Sam began to lose interest in piano. He decided he wasn't good at piano and begged his mother to let him quit. His teacher kept telling him that he needed to practice, but when he sat down at the piano his assignments seemed like an insurmountable mountain. After of dozens of practice battles and much begging and pleading, Sam's mother let him quit. Sam was a victim of poor music teaching practices and these poor teaching practices almost cost him his love for music.
Here is how Sam's passion for music was saved: Sam's sister and father were both drummers. After being exposed to his family's enthusiasm for music and seeing a wide variety of performances, Sam decided to give musicianship another go. He joined his school band as a brass player and he started learning drum set on a hand-me-down drum kit from his sister. When Sam was fourteen, a couple of friends asked him to join their pop/rock band. From then on, Sam's performing career had begun. Joining that band was some of the most fun Sam had ever had.
Before he knew it, Sam was in High School and playing shows at VFW halls, Church Basements, Pool Halls and Festivals. He loved the music, the shows, and all of the interesting people he was meeting on the way. Eventually Sam was approached by some friends to start teaching them how to play drums. Sam was so excited to show his friends what he loved. He found he was a natural teacher. He found it was a fun challenge to figure out how his students learn best and help them improve quickly.
Fast forward to today, Sam is a college educated, road tested, professional teacher and drummer. He has played hundreds of pro gigs in many bands in many states. He has studied with some of the best players in the industry on drums, brass, and piano and shared the stage with big names such as Jay Leno, Rodney Atkins, Emery, Bernard Purdie, Ice Cube, Blues Traveler, Lonestar, and many more. Sam has a keen sense of what students need and when they need it. Sam has ironed out a 3 pillared approach for his own teaching and for his other teachers that can be read about in detail above. Contact us today to schedule a free trial lesson with Sam.
Sam also manages https://samslessons.com
Samuel Barsi grew up in a musical family and decided he wanted to take piano lessons at the young age of 6 years. After his first recital performance, Sam began to lose interest in piano. He decided he wasn't good at piano and begged his mother to let him quit. His teacher kept telling him that he needed to practice, but when he sat down at the piano his assignments seemed like an insurmountable mountain. After of dozens of practice battles and much begging and pleading, Sam's mother let him quit. Sam was a victim of poor music teaching practices and these poor teaching practices almost cost him his love for music.
Here is how Sam's passion for music was saved: Sam's sister and father were both drummers. After being exposed to his family's enthusiasm for music and seeing a wide variety of performances, Sam decided to give musicianship another go. He joined his school band as a brass player and he started learning drum set on a hand-me-down drum kit from his sister. When Sam was fourteen, a couple of friends asked him to join their pop/rock band. From then on, Sam's performing career had begun. Joining that band was some of the most fun Sam had ever had.
Before he knew it, Sam was in High School and playing shows at VFW halls, Church Basements, Pool Halls and Festivals. He loved the music, the shows, and all of the interesting people he was meeting on the way. Eventually Sam was approached by some friends to start teaching them how to play drums. Sam was so excited to show his friends what he loved. He found he was a natural teacher. He found it was a fun challenge to figure out how his students learn best and help them improve quickly.
Fast forward to today, Sam is a college educated, road tested, professional teacher and drummer. He has played hundreds of pro gigs in many bands in many states. He has studied with some of the best players in the industry on drums, brass, and piano and shared the stage with big names such as Jay Leno, Rodney Atkins, Emery, Bernard Purdie, Ice Cube, Blues Traveler, Lonestar, and many more. Sam has a keen sense of what students need and when they need it. Sam has ironed out a 3 pillared approach for his own teaching and for his other teachers that can be read about in detail above. Contact us today to schedule a free trial lesson with Sam.
Sam also manages https://samslessons.com
Pilsen Music Studio
Copyright 2016