Guitar Lessons in Ross, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Synthesizer Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

I believe that encouragement, practical positivity, different learning styles and realistic short term long term challenges can aid in you or your child's musical success. I emphasize developing positive down to earth relationships with my students so that they feel like they can be themselves and learn in a safe environment. Developing relationships also aids in understanding what you or your child's learning style is and in creating realistic short term and long term goals lesson plans. 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: Guitar Voice

Teaching people what they want to know and feeding their enthusiasm has been the best thing about teaching for me. Understanding what a student already knows, seeing where there may be gaps to fill and what new material they are ready for makes it a exciting experience for both the student and me. Using material that interests them and moving ahead in a way that encourages and rewards their effort gives them a true sense of accomplishment and heightens their enjoyment of the lessons and their own improved ability. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Viola Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I love seeing my students grow in their knowledge and appreciation of music! Excellence is rewarding, and I teach the process to get there from whatever level we begin. I use positive reinforcement and notice what the student is doing right. Then, I give critique and an action plan to improve performance. It feels good for the student and teacher when they learn the methods to break down what is currently difficult into smaller pieces so that it is both manageable and possible to go further than they thought. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginner students who are children (or for students who are looking for a more traditional curriculum involving reading standard notation), I typically begin with Hal Leonard's Guitar Method books to develop a foundation and familiarity with reading notes and handling the instrument with correct posture and technique. For students who simply want to play the music they enjoy and prefer using tab over standard notation, I like to jump right in by learning first-position chords, which is usually followed by common finger-picking patterns/strumming patterns, and playing songs of the student's preference. 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: Guitar Music Electric Guitar

Nothing is more rewarding than helping students strengthen their passion for music. We all have a talent or two, and to develop as an artist, a student must understand it takes time, and knowing how to keep yourself motivated when something is challenging. As a music teacher who's an active artist, song-writer, and educator, it becomes important to remind students to set kind, achievable goals. My style involves helping you keep track of your own progress, and realizing music is an ever expanding flow of sonic energy. Read More