Joey Thieman
Piano - Guitar - Bass - Drums - Trumpet - Accordion
Joey Thieman is a multi-instrumentalist originally from Dayton, OH. After his undergraduate degree, he received his Masters in Music Performance with a specialty in jazz from the University of Louisville. He plays and teaches piano, trumpet, drums, accordion, guitar, bass, and organ.
Teaching philosophy: I believe that the main job of a music teacher is to keep the student engaged and enjoying the musical journey. In order to do this it is immensely important to focus on topics and styles that the student actually enjoys. So I have taught everything from Taylor Swift, to Chopin or Thelonious Monk. Everything about private lessons is reliant on the individual student. While I tailor lessons to each student, I also tie in the fundamentals, music appreciation, singing, and drumming. This doesn’t mean that a trumpet student will be spending much time on drum set; rather it means that the most important part of music is rhythm, and because of this I spend part of every lesson doing rhythms in the form of a game called “copy cat.” I was once asked “ does my son have it, is he gifted?” my response was that music itself is the gift. Anyone can do music, it’s one of the most fun and beautiful things about civilization. If someone spends time playing music it teaches patience, work ethic, compassion and a love of art. I have a very deep love for all kinds of music, and I really don’t think I could stop trying to share that with anyone and everyone I meet even if I wanted to. Literally everyone can enjoy playing, and I love helping show people that they too can do it!
Performance: One of the great things about playing a bunch of different instruments is that you get to play a bunch of different styles. As a trumpet player I have played classical music, jazz, funk, afro-beat, reggae, folk, ragtime, and New Orleans style Brass Band music. Each instrument has its pros and cons, but I have been writing on all my instruments since I first picked up my first one and perform every chance I get. I have performed on large stages, small ones, theaters, festivals, clubs, and toured. I have played cover shows, lots of original music, weddings, and all kinds of other fun and sometimes unusual gigs.