Music Lessons in Portola Valley, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Ukulele Mandolin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I've been teaching music for a little over 5 years (2014). I have started many kids who don't know if they would rather learn guitar, drums, or piano. So I give them a tour of all three and show them the basics before they decide their favorite. I encourage consistent practice and practice methods that ensure that the students always feel a sense of improvement without frustration. Personally I've felt the sense of improvement after practicing but was still more agitated, but that was college, before I started teaching. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Viola Bass Guitar Organ Ukulele Electric Violin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar

My name is Jorge S. I am a 24 year old artist/composer that recently moved to the Bay Area to nurture my passions in painting and making music. I grew up in Texas where I began my classical music education in the 4th grade. I began taking the violin more seriously as I grew older and eventually studied with two particular members of the San Antonio Symphony, Andrew Small and Emily Freudigman, the former of which was Itzhak Perlman's student for many years. Read More

Instruments: Mallet Percussion

Born in Tehran, I began playing the santour at the age nine. While studying with Mr. Behnam Mehrabi I found a deep spiritual desire to study music, an "unexplainable souvenir from the eternal truth". A graduate from San Francisco State University, I'm a Nagle Scholar, and the only World/Jazz music major in Northern California, with Persian santour as his primary instrument. As a fulltime musician, I'm active in the fields of performance, composition, ethnomusicology, and teaching. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with Hal Leonard's Essential Elements. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their first recital performance. For adults, I try to find out what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter their ability level. Read More

Instruments: Cello

I usually select the pieces that have nice melodies so my students would find them more enjoyable to play during practices. I encourage students to participate in student recitals every six months or at least once a year, as I strongly believe that by participating in recitals students will benefit from listen to the other players and learning from them, learning how to work fluently with the piano accompanist, and most importantly to experience the real exhilaration of performing in front of live audiences. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I am super passionate about drumming and it is important that lessons are fun and engaging. I like to mix up the content of the class and am flexible as to the student's objectives and needs. I like to talk in terms of concepts and approach to drumming, both mentally and physically, in order to visualize and simplify ideas. I am quite detail oriented when it comes to foundational technique with a strong belief that understanding rhythmic relations and styles is key to significantly faster improvement. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

I began teaching bass guitar and double bass in 2006 privately from my studio and in music schools and academies. I use a combined classical and modern approach to music, taking full advantage of all my musical knowledge and music skills to find and build the most appropriate one for each individual student, helping them enjoy the music and bass, encouraging them to study and practice. I have also planned and taught music classes in elementary and middle schools as well as at summer programs. Read More