Guitar Lessons in University District, WA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Double Bass

My teaching philosophy is: Music is inherently fun. My role as a teacher is to cultivate my student's initial musical spark and help my student learn what he or she wants while providing a basic musical foundation. By keeping music fun, students are more likely to learn more and challenge themselves. My style stems from this philosophy; I keep the music fun by focusing on what my students want to learn. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I have experience with several formal guitar training approaches that I have studied personally as well as analyzed at University. I am able to bring the best aspects of these methods, along with my own insights to help individual students, taking into account the needs of each unique student. Especially with beginner students, I usually use some of my own exercises and reading sheets. For me, thinking about visual coordination is important, so I always want to gauge students note reading skills. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Synthesizer Keyboard

My teaching experience has been drastically influenced by changes in my life both as a student and a performer. My early education was heavily influenced by traditional teaching methods in classical music. So when it came time to study my first introductory jazz course I was rocked to my core. I began not only to enjoy the music I played, but became more aware of the relationships between keys, chords, scales and notes. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Drums Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I have a very laidback, low-pressure approach - if you didn't practice, it's not the end of the world! I think back to my own days of taking lessons and remember how much more I improved in this type of environment, and how much more I loved the process. The difference between these approaches can be night and day, both in results and morale out of the student (which, again, I know from experience as a teacher, but also from my experience as a student). Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

I have been teaching private lesson on and off since I was in college. I have taken the last few years off to complete my graduate education and begin my formal teaching career. I believe that encouraging my students to find fun in practice by choosing music that keeps the students interested. This means taking music from both the classical and popular repertoires. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin

I teach for several different schools in the Seattle area in addition to Musika. I've taught mandolin to an elderly woman who wanted to sing German folk songs to her grandkids, I've taught piano and ukulele to kindergartners, I've helped teenagers write their own songs and perform them to peers, and I've helped dads in their thirties to relive the glory days of Shoegaze and Grunge. With all of these students, I've helped them love the subtle, intricate, surprising parts of music and how to not only play music, but have their life enriched by it and share that with others. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Trumpet Harmonica Ukulele Recorder Acoustic Guitar

When working with younger children, I use the Children's progressive method for guitar and for the older students I use the Hal Leonard guitar method books 1, 2 and 3. As my students progress, I supplement the lesson with songs that my students enjoy and want to learn. I also focus on ear training to help students musically hear what they are playing. Whether it's voice, guitar, ukulele, trumpet or recorder, hearing the music inside and being able to internalize the music is very important to becoming a well rounded musician. Read More