Thaddeus Arndt
About
I teach piano, guitar, bass, songwriting, and music production for kids, adults, beginners, and returning musicians. I earned a BA in Open Music Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2020, and I bring 23 years of piano experience, 14 years of guitar experience, and 10 years of songwriting, recording, and production work into my lessons.
My approach is simple: students stay motivated when they can hear themselves creating real music early. Instead of starting with months of disconnected drills, I help students build useful musical skills through songs, chords, rhythm, ear training, creativity, and practical theory. For songwriters and producers, I also teach Ableton, Logic, DAW workflow, recording, arranging, and finishing music.
Teaching Style
Lessons are practical, creative, and built around the music each student actually cares about. In the first lesson, I listen to your goals and do a musical diagnostic covering rhythm, ear, chords, technique, theory, creativity, and confidence. From there, we build a roadmap around the skills that will create the fastest real progress.
I use songs, simple creative wins, rhythm, chords, ear training, technique, and clear theory to build confidence without making beginners feel stuck in boring drills. Kids get lessons that hold attention and build confidence. Adults get a clear, low-pressure path into music or back into music. Songwriters and producers connect instruments with real writing, recording, and production workflow.
Curriculum
I do not rely on one fixed method book for every student. I choose materials based on age, goals, instrument, and style, then combine songs, chord charts, ear training, rhythm work, simple notation when useful, creative prompts, and practical theory. For production students, lessons can include Ableton, Logic, MIDI, arrangement, sound design basics, recording, editing, and workflow for finishing tracks.
Credentials & Affiliations
I earned a BA in Open Music Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2020, with a focus on piano, music technology, jazz/open music studies, songwriting, improvisation, and contemporary creative practice. I have played piano for 23 years, beginning at age four, with classical training throughout childhood and additional jazz/improvisation work at UIUC. I have played guitar for 14 years and also teach bass, songwriting, music theory, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, recording, and music production.
Professionally, I work as a music instructor in Los Angeles and have taught private and academy-style lessons for kids, teens, adults, total beginners, returning musicians, songwriters, and producers. My teaching experience includes piano, guitar, bass, songwriting, theory, production workflow, recording, and creative musicianship. I currently teach at Angeles Academy in Los Angeles and also teach online, helping students build practical skills through songs, chords, rhythm, ear training, technique, improvisation, creative exercises, and production projects.
As a musician and producer, I have 10 years of recording, beatmaking, songwriting, mixing, and production experience. I have worked with hundreds of artists and clients in beatmaking sessions, recording sessions, custom music sessions, and mixes, and hundreds of released songs on Spotify include my beats or production work. My performance background includes piano recitals growing up, band and jam settings in high school, collaborative original music performances, and ongoing work as a songwriter, producer, guitarist, bassist, and pianist in Los Angeles.
My performance background also includes specific UIUC and Champaign experience: I performed at The Canopy Club in Champaign, played in multiple UIUC college recitals, and served as a Noontime Performer at Courtyard Cafe for three years. Those experiences shape how I teach students to connect technique with real performing, improvising, arranging, songwriting, and confident musicianship.