Music Lessons in Diablo, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Synthesizer Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I think of two things as being central to my teaching style: Fun, and Growth. I think too many music lessons dry out the material, and suck the fun out of something that should be inherently joyful! I try to make every music lesson interesting, and keep my students engaged by giving them material that gets them hyped. Second, I think music is a great chance for people to experience the joy in Growth. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium French Horn Tuba Music

I've performed on trumpet, cornet, trombone, baritone and French horn for over 40 years, and I love to play in many different styles and groups. I've played in symphony orchestras as well as concert bands, both amateur and professional. I've played top 40's with various rock, Latin and R&B bands, vintage dance music from the 19th and 20th centuries, and both Modern and Traditional Jazz. I also arrange and compose music for various ensembles, including my own groups. Read More

Instruments: Flute Clarinet

For flute, I use method books by Trevor Wye.  If the student is a beginner, I will start the student with the Beginners Book for the Flute by Trevor Wye (Book 1 and 2.)  Once the student is finished with these books, the student is now ready for the intermediate and advanced books by Trevor Wye.  It is a set of 5 books that focuses on each aspect of the flute, such as tone and technique. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I take each student's personal goal and gear their lessons toward this goal. By giving each student a realistic short term goal that feeds into their ultimate aspiration on the drums, they will get to see the progress they are making and are encouraged to keep practicing and improving. I use a mix of different instructional texts depending on what we are working on, and will sometimesprovide custom made exercises for a student if needed. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

This can be done in any style, including Funk, Jazz, Rock, Metal, Pop, RnB, Soul, Reggae, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, other Caribbean and Latin styles, and others. For my lessons, I use a mixture of books and my own exercises, tailored to the student's exact needs. Books I work with include: Ted Reed "Syncopation"; George Lawrence Stone "Stick Control"; Gary Chester "New Breed"; Fred Klatz "In Time"; Peter Retzlaff "Baby Steps to Giant Steps"; Read More

Instruments: Voice

I encourage all of my students to choose songs that they want to sing to ensure that they are enjoying what they are learning. For children and beginners, it is important that the fundamentals are in place, therefore I tend to spend more time on musicianship skills and music theory. For more advanced students it is important to understand how their unique instrument works, therefore I like to approach technique through pedagogy. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

My teaching experience goes back to the late seventies where I started to teach kids in the neighborhood the guitar. As I got older and more knowledgeable about jazz and blues, I taught on a part time basis shareing what I was learning through my own studies with my students. Now many years later I have an excellent knowledge of the guitar and want to teach students how to completely understand it. Read More