Music is a beautiful but foreign language.  To fully understand it, you need to learn it from the notes up.  Playing by ear can only get you so far on your musical journey before you the inevitable "brick wall" and are unable to progress any further.  In order to be a truly proficient musician, the disciplines of note-reading, timing, and finger technique must be mastered. 

Don't worry, music theory doesn't have to be overly difficult or boring!  I teach each small aspect of theory as it appears in a student's music.  This teaching method avoids the dreaded theory work-books while giving each student a detailed, college-level understanding of music theory ... that they can actually understand!  Plus, rather than simply learning the answers to a test, a student gains confidence in the practical application of theory. 

Thus we can have music ... without the tears!