Guitar Lessons in Piedmont, CA

Instruments: Guitar Trumpet Trombone Euphonium Tuba Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

There are many great method books out there for young students. Typically, I use whatever material the school provides, be it Standard of Excellence or Hal Leonard's Essential Elements. I like to incorporate other methods for more advanced students, such as the Conservatory Method by Jean-Baptiste Arban, Michael Davis's many offerings, and/or any of the great etude books out there. I feel it is best to use a well-rounded approach, especially considering the students needs as it pertains to their goals. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I have been sharing my knolwedge of music with others for as long as I can remember. It all ways feels good to know that you passed a bit of knowledge on to another human being. I began teaching private lessons part time about 4 years ago. In 2015 I began teaching at Larkin Street Youth Services, a drop in center for homeless youth in San Francisco. There we try not only to develop great musicians, but responsible hard working young people able to function and thrive in modern society. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Viola Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I tailor my lessons to the needs of the individual student. I use a combination of lesson books, solos and exercises to bring out the best performances my students can achieve at the time. I feel it is important for us to have fun while learning. I also use practice sheets as a motivational tool for children, so they can earn stickers and small prizes for putting the practice time in required to learn the skills needed to continue moving to the next level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I've blended my methods with a response to each student I work with by requesting their trust, listening to their places of comfort and interest in playing music, and discovering new avenues of development with the student. I encourage them to draw from those areas in our sessions as we develop our repertoire and enhance individual growth from there. For beginners I tend to start with either Standard of Excellence books or Rubank and build custom practices from there. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

My teaching style is one of deep listening to the student in their musical process, and from this creating the conditions for them to expand into new dimensions of musicality. I am an expert in creative process, and love working with students especially on songwriting, composition, electronic music production, and other such creative domains. In addition, my professional work is focused on a leading edge of musical education that is just emerging and beginning to be understood: developing the listening faculty as a pathway to musical excellence; for as the perceptual foci is polished, so does the sensori-motor engagement discover new possibilities. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Ukulele Mandolin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I always say that rhythm is more important than the notes. Play the right rhythm and the notes will come instead of playing every right note while sacrificing rhythm. I encourage students to make their mistakes loud, proud, and in rhythm so everyone has a better idea of what needs to be worked on most. I also emphasize isolating parts to practice and working backwards. Example: play the last two bars of the song until comfortable with it, now play the last 4 bars, last 6, last 8...etc., whole song. 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