Music Lessons in Moraga, CA

Instruments: Viola

Music has been an integral part of my life from a young age. Although I have been studying the viola seriously for some years, I am now picking up college credits in order to get a music degree. Memorably, I just completed a semester at San Francisco State University, working with a coach from the Alexander Quartet alongside music majors at the school. I feel lucky to have excellent teachers, and want to share that knowledge with people who are learning viola for the first time, or at the intermediate level. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

For beginning students, children or adults, the first thing is to work on body position: the hands, arms, wrist and shoulder to avoid having the wrong positions of the body which could lead to physical problems in the future. Then it is important to learn the basic music skills: scales, arpeggios, basic harmony, and finger techniques. Once the students have progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals we can follow two parallel lines, studying advanced techniques and varied bass repertoire and at the same time focusing on what the student is interested in. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I began instructing young adults in harmony, theory and piano when I was nineteen in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. After high school, I began putting my poetry to music and this led to a move to California to try and make it as a songwriter. I played with several music acts in the Bay Area, toured the east coast and Midwest, and wrote music for the theater, notably an original score for Bertolt Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar

I like to give my students small goals until I get to know them better. Early triumphs in learning a musical instrument tend to really help keep the attention of the new player. With beginning students, I like to teach in reference to the music the student wants to play. With Intermediate students, I like to have them explore new musical genres with similar concepts to what they are listening to or creating, in order to teach them to use the tools they already have more diversily. Read More

Instruments: Piano

It's been my strong belief that every student is unique in all aspects - it is my responsibility to recognize the uniqueness of the student, and individualize the lesson for each student's need. I am familiar with multiple methods - the most common ones include Alfred Basic Library, PIano Adventures, Music Tree, and Piano Safari; other methods include Bastien Piano Basics, Hal Leonard's Essential Elements, and many others. I use different methods with different students - decisions are usually made after the initial interview or when I have sufficient observation of the student's learning style, background, and personality. Read More

Instruments: Cello

I graduated from High School in 2002, and I've taught on and off since then. I've moved 4 times, but in each place I kept a high standard for my students and taught them in a way that would help them accomplish their personal goals. In Tampa I was a teachers assistant, filling in to teach college students technique and repertoire, and I kept small private studios in Boston and New Jersey as well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Clarinet

When I was ten, I made the decision that whatever career I chose, I needed it to allow me to help people. As I got older and discovered that music was the thing I most wanted to do in this life, teaching voice and piano became the vehicle I needed to keep doing music as well as help people, like I wanted. In training my voice classically, I had the very best instructor who taught me how to sing the healthy way. Read More