Music Lessons in Tara Hills, CA

Instruments: Violin Viola

My teaching methods are based off of the Franco-Belgian school founded by Vieutemps, Beriot, and Ysaye to name a few. i am also inspired by the methods of Ivan Galamian and his teaching style. For beginners, I will start with basic elements such as the proper way of holding the instrument; this is crucial for later violin development so it must be mastered first. I will also provide lessons on basic Music Theory essential to understanding rhythm, pitch, and reading music. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I grew up in a household full of music. My Dad loved jazz while my Mother loved opera and classical music. They constantly played their respective recordings throughout the day. I began guitar lessons at 9 with a music teacher in the neighborhood who had a good reputation. However, I found his teaching style to be lacking warmth or any specific direction. So I quit and began teaching myself by learning melodies and chords from rock, pop and jazz recordings. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

Hristo Vitchev has appeared on countless radio shows/programs all around the world. Hristo has also performed in world-class jazz venues and festivals including Yoshis Jazz Club (Oakland, CA), Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society (Half Moon Bay, CA), Kuumbwa Jazz Center (Santa Cruz, CA), Anthology (San Diego, CA), Catalina Jazz Club (Hollywood, CA), The Jazz Corner (Hilton Head Island, SC), Heidi's Jazz Club (Cocoa Beach, FL), Alvas Showroom (San Pedro, CA), The Jazz Station (Eugene, OR), Egan's Ballard Jam House (Seattle, WA), Timucua White House (Orlando, FL), Ivories Jazz Club (Portland, OR), The Herbst Theater (San Francisco, CA), SOhO Jazz Club (Santa Barbara, CA), as well as major jazz festivals including the 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey, CA), 2009/2010/2012/2013 ATT San Jose Jazz Festival (San Jose, CA), 2010 and 2012 Redwood City Jazz on Main (Redwood City, CA), Okazaki Jazz Festival (Okazaki, Japan) and many more. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

I am passionate when it comes to music and I believe it is an essential part of life. Students should have some form of music in there life because of the positive effects it has on the mental state. I have played trumpet for twelve years, during this time I have played in several ensembles such as; ACSI Honor Band, ACSI Honor Orchestra, University of the Pacific Concert Band, U.O.P's Pep Band etc. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trombone Euphonium Tuba Keyboard

My teaching style is meant to cater to each students specific needs but above all else is having an understanding of what a brass musician should sound like. Many times young students only hear computerized recordings or recordings from their method books and they have not concept of what the instrument should truly sound like. The use of technology is something that I am a big fan of and resources such as YouTube is a great place to hear these recordings. 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: Piano

I typically use Piano Adventures books. I start with teaching what each note on the Piano is, then how each note corresponds to what you see on paper, then I teach intervals, then scales, then chords, then harmonic structure, etc. All the while progressing through more and more fun and tricky pieces in the books. Eventually, I introduce solo pieces for each individual depending on what they want to learn/what they're interested in. Read More