learning music from the sound up
(813) 784-4575 beginnersmindmusic@gmail.com
music lessons in Tampa, FL or anywhere online
with Tom Kersey - cellist, composer and multi-instrumentalist
my goal is to give low-cost and free music lessons
That’s why I offer lessons with sliding-scale fees, because money should never be a barrier between a student's hunger to learn and a mentor's passion to teach. The standard rate is $60 for an hour lesson, or $30 for a half-hour lesson. Some students pay more, some pay less. Those who pay more enable me to offer low-cost, or in special cases free, high-quality lessons to those who otherwise may not be able to comfortably afford them.
above: young and grown-up cellists having a little fun
I offer lessons for:
cello (beginner - advanced)
guitar (beginner - intermediate)
bass (beginner - intermediate)
piano (beginner)
violin (beginner)
viola (beginner)
ukulele (beginner)
Want to play but can’t pay? Can you pay for lessons and want to help out Beginner’s Mind Music in our mission? Either way, let’s figure it out.
Want to give the gift of music to a current or potential student? Become a donor or patron. You can donate money, instruments, time and talent.
What is Beginner’s Mind Music?
Hi, I’m Tom Kersey, founder of Beginner’s Mind Music (BMM). BMM is my personal aspirational project to teach music lessons at reduced rates and for free to students who need them.
Browse the site for free educational material, including sheet music, charts and visualizations, videos and more. I also have a list of other music teachers in the Tampa Bay area.
a free consultation/introductory lesson.
What is “Beginner’s Mind”?
In Zen Buddhism, "beginner's mind" (Japanese shoshin, 初心) refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and a lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would.
I’m Tom Kersey, founder of Beginner’s Mind Music. I’ve been a musician for most of my life and have taught music since 2002. I started BMM to showcase my philosophy and approach to both music education and life in general. Throughout my years of teaching, I’ve developed a lot of ideas and techniques, and I’ve seen some major issues pop up over and over again with some of the ways music is taught. I’ve seen things which could be improved, and some things which are actually harmful to a student’s natural progression and development, and I’d like to share my experience and unique perspective with students as well as other teachers. After all, the best teachers never stop being students!
I’ve learned a lot from my own teachers, colleagues and even my own students, and I want to share my insight and experience. One of my greatest joys in life is sharing music with others in the same spirit as the child who comes across a fascinating little creature or a beautiful seashell in the sand, excitedly cups it in their hands, finds another person and says “look what I found!”
here are some interesting ideas about the fundamentals of music...
perceptually, music is sound, emotion and movement
scientifically, music is a complex arrangement of frequencies
pitch or notes are very high frequencies, pulse or rhythm are very low frequencies, therefore pitch and rhythm are one and the same, and we perceive them subjectively as two separate elements of music
music theory is a tool to show how music is much less complicated than you think it is
chords, scales, modes and key signatures describe the same objects from different angles
dimensionally, music is primarily an art of time