Music Lessons in Forest Knolls, CA

Instruments: Violin Viola

Each of my students is an individual with specific needs. I learn from all of them to help me be a better teacher, but keep in mind that they will have different strengths and proceed at different rates - and that's okay! I also believe that learning the violin is not a race to the end of book 10, but rather a journey, and that each student's place along that journey comes in many shades of grey. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Ukulele Music Keyboard

Each comes with their own set of creative challenges and goals, and helping them move to a place of satisfaction and joy in music has been the most meaningful kind of work. When I began to learn music as a child, I had no idea how much joy it would bring me, and the musical community I would gain, or the anchor this pursuit would be for me through the difficult seasons that would arise in my life. Read More

Instruments: Piano Organ

Teaching piano classes is something I continued at UMass/Amherst with Continuing Education students who were mostly from foreign countries. I thrive on meeting people from all age groups and skill levels. Collaborating with others is what floats my boat! I will ask questions to clarify what you are thinking without using musical jargon. (It can be done!) My goal has evolved with experience. Facilitating my students' understanding of music has the wonderful result of their increased enjoyment in listening to recordings and attending live performances. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trombone

My teaching style is flexible. One of my teachers asked me up front how hard I wanted him to be on me and thats something we would go over as well. Its important I learn the personality and learning style of the student. Its important to establish a trust and understanding so as not to take criticisms personally so that we can develop weaknesses and build on strengths. Every musician has different strengths and weaknesses my goal is to help them achieve their best musical self to grow their confidence and be as fully realized as possible. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I like to set clear but realistic goals for students, so each student can learn at their own pace. I'm a big believer in positive reinforcement. I think the best motivation comes from within, and I aim to fuel this by finding out what inspires the student most and helping them reach their own goals. Read More

Instruments: Flute Piccolo

This might be to learn to play specific pieces that they like, to gain help with something they are struggling in, to win first chair in their school ensemble, to win a competition, or to get into college as a musician, among many other things. With those goals in mind, I like to take a holistic approach to the learning process. We will work on developing a great tone, mastering technique, playing with strong intonation, and learning how to phrase and play expressively within the different types of music. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I use a variety of books, recordings, and online resources for all levels- transcriptions of classicstylesand newer artists , scale and chordreference books, solo pieces for different genres,beginning guitarmethods bytraditional publishers such as Hal Leonard and Warner Bros. plus newer books. Online video and audio content andrecording software such as garageband arealso valuable resources to work with.Learning to read and write music opens up great potential for communication and creativity- theory and improvisation are other topics that I like to teach. Read More