I offer private, online lessons in my home studio (Centralia WA) and online via videoconferencing.

Based on the teachings of my mentor, Art Farmer, I advocate a lyrical, melodic approach to jazz.

My rates are affordable, and my teaching style is relaxed and encouraging.

I work with all musicians, any instruments (including vocalists) at all skill levels.

Lessons are customized to your unique musical goals and interests.

Testimonials

I play piano and came to Dmitri to help my improvisations become more melodic. Most jazz players bore me to death as they’re just playing scales or fast be-bop lines, and the teaching just encourages this lunacy. I’ve found Dmitri is really unique when it comes to jazz teachers. He understands how to strike that delicate balance between criticism and encouragement. He’s not just phoning it in and I never walk away from a lesson feeling like I’m yesterday’s garbage. I could give a laundry list of why this guy is so good, but the bottom line is work with him. If you feel like you’ve been wandering in circles, he’ll set you right.
—Robert L (Novato, CA)

I attended a couple of Dmitri’s workshops (“Melodic Mastery” and “How to Learn Jazz Standards”). Both were excellent, well put together with copious handouts and support material.  I would attend any workshop by Dmitri as I love his flugelhorn sound, improvising and enthusiasm for sharing/teaching. I now have the opportunity to study with Dmitri via Skype. Had my first lesson last week and was looking forward to the next before the first was over. I feel so lucky to be able to study with an artist of Dmitri’s caliber. His passion for music and teaching is contagious!
—John P (Seattle, Washington, USA)

Thank you for accepting me as a student. I have for years admired you’re musicianship, and after my first lesson I knew you could professionally impart your talents with a common sense language to the students.
—Keith G (Ellensburg, Washington, USA)

I thoroughly enjoyed my Skype trumpet lesson with Dmitri Matheny today. He gave me a number of very helpful suggestions during the course of the lesson and also sent some pdfs after the lesson that outlined the main points and gave me additional material to work on. This was the first lesson I have taken on Skype, and while it wasn't quite as good as being there in person it was pretty darn close. Highly recommended!!
—Randy P (Seattle, Washington, USA)

I had a lesson with Dmitri via FaceTime last week, and it was a great experience!  We talked about several things, and the lesson included demonstrations, Q&A and great feedback from Dmitri.  As a follow-up, he sent me detailed notes on our session so I could refer to the ideas we had discussed.  I'd never really done a distance learning "virtual" lesson before, and was very happy with the results.  Dmitri gave me great feedback and was very easy to work with.  I've played for about 45 years and am still looking to learn, and I definitely did!  I highly recommend a session with him, and am looking forward to my next one.
–Keith W (Holland, Michigan, USA)

I have been studying music with Dmitri Matheny since March 2019. He is such a great teacher and mentor. He is ALWAYS motivating me and ALWAYS inspiring me to be better. He makes everything much easier so I can understand things better. I love the way he teaches and how he can make that flugelhorn sing. He is a great friend, an amazing teacher/mentor, and a beautiful person! Check him out, seriously, do it. Thank you so much, Dmitri.
—Ruben D (Lima, Peru)

Dmitri Matheny is a one-of-a-kind teacher. He really knows how to motivate and engage his students. His directions are clear, concise, and easy to follow. After each lesson, I’ve been able to put his tips and tricks into practice at my very next gig. He truly cares about the success of his students and goes out of his way to encourage and support them. As a female trumpet/flugelhorn player in a male-dominated business, Dmitri has inspired me to play my best while treating me with the utmost respect. You can’t go wrong with Dmitri. I’m proud to call him my teacher, mentor, and friend.
—Danielle W (Olympia, Washington, USA)

I've been playing the trumpet on commercial gigs for nearly sixty years winning awards and accolades along the way.  Now that I am semi-retired I decided to learn more about jazz and the things I missed learning academically after finishing my tour with the US Navy.   I was aware of Dmitri's skills on the horn so there was no doubt  he would be my choice to study with. Every lesson was carefully customized to educate and improve while not taking away from the style I have developed on my own. He knew just what to say to relate to me and build my confidence.  He challenged me with difficult work but inspired me to rise to each challenge. I am extremely grateful. He knew my weaknesses and did a brilliant job of helping me solve them. Every lesson was a giant step for me and I feel I am twice the player I was before the year I spent under Dmitri's teaching. I've been a full time professional entertainer my entire career (59 years) but there is still much for me to learn and I am looking forward to studying with him in the future. I strongly recommend you do the same! Teachers who care as much as Dmitri are rare!
—Bob H (Sequim, Washington, USA)

How It Works

Before our session, you:

• contact me to schedule your lesson
• tell me about yourself and your goals
• send advance payment via Paypal

During our session, I will:

• listen to you and provide constructive feedback
• share ideas and demonstrate techniques
• discuss how to take your music to the next level

After the lesson, I will:

• email you a lesson plan and additional resources
• answer any questions you may have 
• suggest next steps for future sessions

Possible Topics

It is very important to me that we address your unique creative goals.

Please give some thought to what you would like to work on during our time together.

Possible areas of focus include improvisation, 
sight-reading, 
phrasing and articulation, how to learn standard songs, 
jazz as conversation
, deep listening, creating original melodies, 
long tone exercises, vocal phrasing, blues inflection
, call and response, 
melodic embellishment
, motivic development
, bass motion and counterpoint, tone production and enhancement
, developing your melodic range, 
jazz harmony and theory, 
tonal gravity, guide tones and linear harmony, arpeggios, scales and tetra-scales
, patterns, cycles, sequences and turnarounds, 
signature riffs, licks and motifs, solo transcription
, swing and syncopation, blues and standard song forms
, modal improvisation, ii-V7-I patterns and exercises, reharmonization
, practicing with a metronome and play-alongs, 
career coaching and music business
, band-leading and rehearsal techniques and developing your own sound and style.

Contact Dmitri for more information.