Guitar Lessons in Petaluma, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Trombone Drums Ukulele Euphonium French Horn Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I believe encouragement is the best way to help a student succeed. I believe music lessons should be enjoyable and try to make them fun. But even though we have fun, we still have to play the best we can and get the work done. I try to inspire my students to enjoy music, not force them. I believe music should be fun and engaging and not just "work" or a "Requirement". Read More

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

Each student learns at their own pace and it's important to understand that not everybody learns the same. Setting both short and long term goals with the student helps me understand what they want out of lessons. This makes it easier for me to engage with them and bring it back to something relevant to them at the end of the day. For example, no child understands advanced rhythm unless you disguise it in familiar terms e.g. using the phrase "run po-ny run" to describe two eighth notes sandwiched in between to quarter notes. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

I can accompany the student with the guitar or piano. For beginners in piano, I will typically begin with the Faber workbook. If they have their own workbook that they would like to work from, I will work with that. I teach Circle of Fifths as an early tool to cultivate an understanding of harmonic language, and make it as simple and easy as possible, until the basics become engrained. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar

I tailor each lesson to the unique self and stage of musical development of the student and actively create custom lesson plans and materials to best suit their progress and musical curiousities. Improvisation and rhythm games, music theory essentials, and instrumental basics are core components of my teaching practice. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Synthesizer Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I discuss with you what you want to achieve; playing your favorite songs, writing your own, improvising, playing with others, etc. and then we build a plan to develop the supporting skills to accomplish this goal. I focus on imparting clear instruction and advice, paying close attention to what is or isn't working for you to help you refine and improve your playing. Together we'll ensure you understand the fretboard up and down, filling in any gaps in knowledge and connecting all of the dots until you feel confident moving around it. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Ukulele Acoustic Guitar

Since my graduate degree days 25 years ago , I have been steadily teaching both as a private instructor, and in classroom situations... I'll confess that, while group lessons do foster an energy that can be exciting, the reality of dividing my teaching attention between multiple students is not quite as exciting at putting ALL my effort and attention int one private student! As a choir director, I not only have the opportunity to teach "voice," but "musicality," and I find that to be an highly satisfying experience! Read More

Instruments: Guitar

For beginners, learning basic chords and melodies including songs chosen by the student. For intermidiate, learning some repetoire of a student's preferred style and applying theory/adding new ideas as well as becoming more famliar with the guitar neck For advanced, learning improvisational concepts and practice techniques or difficult song passages that will improve student's technique and musical vocabulary. Reading music is an option for any level. Read More