Music Lessons in Ridgefield, WA

Instruments: Voice

I studied classical music for eight years. I discovered world classical music in high school, fell in love with it, and continued my studies in the art along with exploring worship leadership. I always enjoyed RB and pop growing up, so adding classical was a great bonus to my repertoire. I started teaching modern music along with classical training methods to get the best of both worlds. This helps strengthen singers, and music expresses emotion and can be very therapeutic, which is exciting and transformative. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I feel that, like my piano teachers always said, practice does in fact make perfet. It's amazing what can happen with even a 1/2 hour every other day when it comes to weekly lessons. I tend to assign more, but my point is that it's extremely important to practice! Also, what helped students the most - across the board - was theory workbooks, especially when it came to composition. Getting students interested in composing lends way to their completion rate when it came to homework too! Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele

I generally split lessons into three sections, 1/3 with chords, 1/3 scales, 1/3 with songs, but every student is different, for example, If your goal is to strictly learn chords to sing folks songs over, I will emphasize more chord reading and learning time. If you want to play leads, I will spend more time emphasizing scales to help you learn how to improvise. There are also other excercises we can do like rhythm reading (just with clapping, no instrument) transcription/listening, and harmonic analysis. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Flute Ukulele Recorder

My teaching approach is tailored to the interests and goals of each student, but always includes fundamentals such as scales, strength-building exercises, rudiments of theory, and ear training. Some of the method books I've used include the Faber "Piano Adventures" series, Alfred and Bastien series, and Hanon's The Virtuoso Pianist, among others. I always supplement these materials with arrangements and transcriptions of popular songs and classical pieces, along with original exercises designed to teach specific styles and techniques. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola Fiddle

Kathleen's teaching style seeks to draw out what is most interesting to students and build from there. Drawing from the Suzuki, Galamian, and Flesch methods, she encourages students to follow their interests to learn how it all fits together. She feels that the joy of learning music is contagious and looks for ways to get students plugged into local performing groups as well as helping the whole family find ways to play together. Read More

Instruments: Voice

My teaching focuses on bodily awareness and fundamental vocal techniques initially; this includes exercises to promote bodily flexibility and release tension in the muscles that can hinder ideal singing. This is paired with vocal exercises that promote use of the voice in a way that allows maximal vocal freedom and health. As the student gains consistency of vocal control and awareness, more time is allotted to working on music. I encourage students to discuss and choose music from the style(s) of their liking, as this keeps the student maximally engaged and allows the student to apply what they've learned to a situation that they can relate to. Read More

Instruments: Flute

I always start off my very first lesson, (or a very long time since seeing that student) with a piece of their choice to showcase their ability and level of playing and another I hand them to sight read. That way I can assign the right material at their playing level and start letting them know what books they will need to buy for future lessons. When i have heard them play, I go through my gallery of music and pull out tonal, technical, and everything in between to start outlining what we will be working on for months. Read More