Creation First. Technique With a Reason.

I don't make beginners grind abstract drills for months before they get to make anything. Piano, guitar, bass, songwriting, production, it's the same. We start with a musical idea you can hear quickly.

Then we hang technique, theory, ear training, rhythm and practice habits on that idea. Fundamentals still matter. They just stick when you know what they're for.

I've taught five-year-olds and adults coming back to music after decades away. It goes the same way every time. Once a student hears themselves making real music, or playing a song they already love, practice has a reason.

Thaddeus Arndt seated at the piano Guitar Center lesson with young guitar students Thaddeus Arndt with a young student after his first recital

The same creation-first approach in motion.

Hear how I play before you pick a path.

What You Can Learn

Each subject stands on its own. The goal doesn't change. Make real music early and build the skill around it.

Thaddeus Arndt playing acoustic guitar outdoors in the LA hills
Piano, guitar, bass, songwriting, and production all start from the same idea: make music first, then build the skill around it.
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Piano

Chords, songs, rhythm, technique, reading, theory and creative playing, for kids and adults.

🎸

Guitar & Bass

Chords, riffs, rhythm, bass lines, groove, fretboard theory. All learned through songs.

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Music Theory

Chords, keys, progressions, harmony and song structure, learned through music you actually play or write.

👂

Ear Training

Hear intervals, chords, bass movement, melodies and progressions, so music starts making sense faster.

🎛️

Music Production

Ableton or any DAW. Recording, arrangement, editing, mixing basics, and turning ideas into finished tracks.

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Audio Engineering

Signal flow, mic technique, EQ, compression, session organization and clean exports.

Teaching Experience

Private lessons, Guitar Center programs, online coaching and my own independent studio. Kids, adults, beginners and returning musicians.

2024 - Present

Independent Private Music Instruction

One-on-one lessons online and in Los Angeles. Piano, guitar, bass, songwriting, music theory, ear training and production.

2017 - 2024

Guitar Center Piano Instructor

Taught through the Guitar Center lesson program in Champaign, Illinois and then Palmdale, California. Then I went fully independent.

2016 - Present

Renaissauce Records

I founded it. I mentor newer artists on production, mixing and the creative process.

Transparent Rates

No hidden fees. Piano, guitar, bass, theory, ear training or production, it's all the same rate.

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Half Hour

$40
30-minute lesson
  • Focused and quick
  • Good for younger students
  • You know what to do next after every lesson
  • Any instrument or subject
Get Started
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Full Hour

$60
60-minute lesson
  • More time to create and polish
  • Best for adults and production
  • Theory, technique and songs in one sitting
  • Any instrument or subject
Get Started

Start With the $20 Intro

Tell me what you want to play, make, or understand. I'll find the simplest place to start.

Choose your path in three steps.

Pick online or in person first. Then kids, adults, or songwriters and producers.

With different learning options, which option is right for you?

Who is it for?

Choose both learning options to see your best path.

Choose where you want lessons and who they're for. I'll point you to the piano, guitar, bass, songwriting or production pages that fit.

Book the $20 Intro 💬 Text Me