SERVICES
Private Music Lessons
I strongly believe that private, one on one instruction is the best way to learn how to play a new instrument. Not only is it a much more forgiving environment to learn in, but the content of each lesson can be tailored to your needs and preferences. There’s a clearer path of individual progress from week to week, and more precise attention to achieving the goals you set for yourself as a musician. As a professional recording session musician, I am proficient in every style of music, so one on one instruction will really give you an edge in being able to learn new material quickly, know when you’re out of tune, understanding what key you’re in, play in precise time with ease, using the entire fretboard of your guitar, and understanding how your favorite artists write music and put pieces of songs together.
Everyone learns differently, so accordingly there is no strict lesson plan that will benefit all music students equally. I use a blend of classical music theory and classical approach to rhythm, with a traditional love of popular music, and ear training delivered with a sense of kindness and understanding.
I do recommend dressing in layers during lessons because we keep the studio rather cold - all of the vintage electronics we run in the studio are hot. Casual wear is fine for your lesson. Short shorts, miniskirts, bare midriff, and swim suits are not acceptable.
Private Travel Lessons
I offer in home private music instruction for those who prefer a professional studio musician come to them for instruction. These in home instructional sessions are booked on a case by case basis, and are extremely limited. If you are interested in booking a session for private instruction at your home, please call and set up an appointment to meet and discuss your personal needs.
For those who are on the fence in deciding if this is for you, consider these advantages:
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Learn around your schedule and availability, not what open spots an instructor has at the studio. Not only are you more comfortable in your own home, but you will save time travelling to and from lessons weekly. If you’re a parent overbooked with your children’s schedules, this would be much more effective for you as opposed to waiting on them to finish in a teaching a studio.
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Students are accustomed to practicing on their own instruments and amplifiers, so it makes sense for lessons to take place on their personal gear that cannot be brought to a music studio. On top of that, you will get to have a professional studio musician teach you how to use your personal instrument, amplifier, and equipment just like a pro musician would onstage. Having trouble getting those tones you love from your favorite records? Not a problem. I will show you how to adjust the amplifiers settings to suit what you’re trying to accomplish. You’ll learn things like advanced gain staging, the benefits of headroom for what size room you’re playing in, and the importance of impedance with your guitar cable length so you can get the best sounding audio out of your instrument.
Band Coaching
Mitchakes Music offers an unparalleled Band Coaching program that will give you and your band the best experience possible. This set of weekly courses is open to everyone from beginners looking to start playing in a band, to experienced musicians looking to give their live performance an edge. Band members will learn how to develop their performance chemistry through working up sets of music, developing group dynamics through working out musical arrangements, writing songs as a band, and improvising together as a unit. Band members will also learn about the music business through lessons in music publishing and copyright, learn how to get their music distributed out to consumers in different formats, as well as learn about the recording and mastering process and building their musical brand.
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All rehearsals are held inside Reddotte Studios Studio A, a professional recording studio in Richardson, TX, for one hour a week.
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Every rehearsal is recorded on the main studio mixing console and distributed to students through personal USB for reference listening and practice.
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A professional performance backline will be provided by Reddotte Studios: this includes a vintage guitar and bass amp collection, high quality performance audio cables, a studio grade drum kit and drum shield, full monitor mixes, headphones, and microphones.
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As bands progress, Mitchakes Music will work with band members to book shows and performance showcases.
Recording Packages for Students
Mitchakes Music is proud to offer personalized recording packages for students through Reddotte Studios.
These can include:
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A two hour recording session with in house professional recording engineers and a producer
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A two hour mix down of your performance
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Access to professional studio musicians to perform on your song
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Full run of the studio which includes a highly sought after vintage guitar amp collection; and concerning gear, a professional bass rig, a collection of synthesizers, a studio grade tuned drum kit, a extensive microphone collection, tube preamps, vintage compressors, an unparalleled vintage effects collection, and a large list of vintage guitars.
Personalized recording packages are great for parents looking to capture special moments from their children and can act as a musical time capsule through the years of their child’s progress. They can also become great demo recordings for any level of musician looking to have a professional recording experience.
Digital Audio Workstation
Mitchakes Music now offers Digital Audio Workstation (D.A.W.) and Recording Classes through a partnership with Reddotte Studios. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make your own professional quality recordings with career audio engineers on site this is the class for you! Our D.A.W. courses focus on training in audio engineering, including live recording, mixing, and mastering recorded audio tracks, sound reinforcement, electronic music composition, and songwriting and arranging methods. Ultimately, these courses teach you to how to create better music. We emphasize musical originality, software mastery, and workflow speed with our D.A.W. program. Our courses will turn you into a mixing engineer!
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These courses are limited to six students per class.
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Each class is set with multiple hours of one on one access with instructors, all of whom are professional recording engineers.
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Our courses feature a heavy emphasis on Pro Tools, the industry standard in Digital Audio Workstations, as well as courses on audio fundamentals, music theory, songwriting, and arranging.
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Sound design lessons in Pro Tools and Studio One teach you how to craft your own sounds, presets, and patches as both an artist and a producer.
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We encourage students to work on original music projects throughout the program, and we have special private mentoring sessions dedicated to one on one feedback.
For inquires please call Reddotte Studios prior to enrolling, to request a meeting with our staff so we can access your personal needs and goals, give you a tour of Reddotte Studios, and talk about how to move forward.