Piano Lessons in Sonoma, CA

Instruments: Piano Trombone

I learned my fundamentals as a musician from my musician mother who is a vocalist and childhood piano teachers she set me up with from ages 4-12. At the age of 12, I picked up the trombone in the school instrumental program. I continued to play in school bands throughout my education and in high school, I was set up with a private trombone instructor. Throughout high school and college Ive studied with professional trombonists: Don Kennelly - SF Opera Bass Trombone, Dave Martell, David Taylor - New York, and Doug Beavers and John Gove. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar

Flowing between the presentation of new information and the actual active playing music is very important to the way I conduct lessons. Especially for the young, I place much more emphasis on facilitating musical experiences rather than the integration of musical nomenclature and conceptualization. When we learn to speak, our ears guide us first, and we imitate. Writing and reading comes later. I've found that this pertains to music as well, if not even moreso. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Music

I have been given so many opportunities to teach students of various ages. I was an assistant instructor for San Jose State's Summer Flute Institute, which involved giving private lessons, teaching beginner-level flute classes, coaching an intermediate chamber group, and judging a advanced-level performance competition. I've also had the chance to travel to Tijuana, Mexico as an assistant instructor for a summer Festival called Opera de Tijuana's Opera en la Calle. Read More

Instruments: Piano Organ

I try my very best to avoid criticism, encourage curiosity, and open doors at every lesson. Constant criticism can put a permanent damper on a student's love of music. Exploration can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment! In the Photo Gallery above, the first pic is of David, age 6-1/2, playing organ for the first time. He has been watching me play during a church service, so I offered to show him a few things. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Viola Bass Guitar Organ Ukulele Electric Violin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar

I always start a lesson with a new student by assessing their current skill level. If the student already has a certain curriculum they are working on, I usually have them pick up from where they left off so I can see where we're at. Taking things into consideration like intonation, posture, dynamics, form etc., I either assign a new curriculum or continue on. My lessons usually consist of 3 books: a scale book, an etude book, and a leveled song book like the Suzuki method. Read More

Instruments: Piano Cello Keyboard

I try to balance the needs of my students and work to strengthen their musical weaknesses for example working on Vibrato or bow distribution. Usually, I like to spend 10 minutes warming up both hands with long tones, scales, arpeggios, and other fun exercises. During the next 30 minutes, we tend to focus on fixing issues relating to the music such as rhythms or intonation issues. In the last 20 minutes of the lesson I tend to focus on musicality and finding inspiration to give to my students so they can exploit their potential. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Synthesizer Keyboard

My experience with music goes back since I have memories. Music has been in my life and family and this is why I decided to become a professional musician and study hard to improve my skills and knowledge. My first piano lession I had 10 years and my first professional keyboard I was 15. Drums came along with my brothers toy drum to finally buy a real kit. All my brothers are a musician and it really helped to open to different styles and concepts. Read More