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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Elk Grove . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Conga Latin Percussion
My teaching style consists of compassion, patience and developing discipline for ones instrument little by little. Nothing is pushed, but my philosophy is "bit by bit." I want the student to be able to be challenged at the same time having fun and enjoying their instrument. I do have my own feel for each student which is completely different and varies to their ability, personality and behavior, but I am constantly tuned into my students to and what their needs and likes are. Read More
Instruments: Piano Flute
It's important to me to cater my teaching style to each student. Not all students learn the same way so its not a one size fits all. Some of my students need more pressure and more practice and want to have more material and others like a more laid back approach. I will spend the first 1-3 lessons to figuring out what your preferred learning method is, what the problem areas are, and what kind of books, tools, and games I should prepare for the rest of our classes. Read More
Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Piccolo Music
I do my best to foster a warm and safe environment with all of my students. In all of my first lessons, I establish rules that explain that we must treat our lesson space, our instruments, and each other with respect. I cater each lesson to each student; every person is different, therefore every lesson must be different. During each lesson, we set realistic yet challenging goals for the next upcoming lessons. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice Organ Synthesizer Keyboard
Smiley has studied piano since the age of 5 and has been fortunate to study with the Carl Wheeler the musician who wrote and played for Tony Toni tone, as well as Beyonce and high profile headliners. Smiley has played for celebrity singers including Carlos Santana, comedian Tommy Davidson, as well as John Witherspoon. He a Degree in music from the University of Berklee, and has taught piano and voice since 2005. he enjoys working with people and uses his patience and perceptiveness to communicate music to others. Read More
Instruments: Piano Flute Piccolo Music Keyboard
Teaching is very new to me. For beginning students I would start with a Hal Leonard's Essential Elements book. Then when the student progresses the fundamentals I will start to introduce solo pieces for recital performance. For adults I will ask them what would be fun for them to play and make my lesson plans off of that to keep them engaged and having fun no matter what level they are. Read More
Instruments: Piano
If I can do it, so can you! I am very patient and have a great sense of humor! I get along great with children and adults alike. I started his musical journey as a self taught student, using materials his mother had bought from a family friend and playing on an old electric organ found at a garage sale. It became very clear that music was meant to be a part of my life so he pursued formal training at the University of California, Davis. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice Trombone
I believe lessons should be fun and engaging. I believe the most improvement in a student comes from practice time, so my goal as a teacher is to show the student how to practice most effectively by applying what they learned in their lessons in their practice sessions. If it is all right with them, we can record the lesson so they can go back and watch. As a teacher, I believe it is important to be positive and supporting, giving constructive criticism guide the student to play better while also boosting the student's confidence. Read More
Instruments: Piano Organ
What does a normal practice session look like for you?
My practice is different every day. The window of time available changes, sometimes during the practice session. Rather than stubbornly sticking to my original plan for that session, I have found much more peace of mind in revising the goal for the day. Example: When you have planning on practicing for two hours and then the phone rings, changing your plans, when you reassess the time available and find something that can be accomplished within that amount of time, you will have reached a goal and will feel good about it.
There is no requirement to adhere to a rigid goal and feel down on yourself for not accomplishing it. Life happens!
FYI, it took me a long time, i.e. years, to learn that!
What is your dream piece to perform and why?
I would give my right arm, as they say, to be able to perform Twenty Portraits of the Infant Jesus by Olivier Messiaen. It's too hard! Several years ago, I found four movements that seemed to be more accessible than the others. I would practiced them for two months, say, then put them aside. Six months later, I would try again. The result was always the same. My fingers remembered nothing and I had to start over.
After four rounds of this, I decided to look at Messiaen's Preludes instead. I have happily performed three of the Preludes many times.
Pierre Laurent-Aimard performs the Vingt Regards (Twenty Portraits) on tour, from memory. I have ceded ownership of the piece to this wonderful pianist.
Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Yes, music was something that was always around when I was a child. My father was a minister. He had sung in his college's male quartet. He had a lovely bass voice, and with further training might have had a professional singing career.
My mother had been a public school music supervisor before I was born, after which she taught kindergarten and supervised the elementary Sunday School department in our rather large church. She led a brief worship service for the children before smaller classes were taught, including a music component. My parents met in college choir.
In the Midwest, ministers' children at the time typically took lessons. My three older siblings all played instruments, with my sister playing both piano and organ. She played organ for our church before I did.
It must have been an unspoken part of the circumstances that the minister's children play for church. Even if that was the case, it was fabulous training. Playing congregational responses and hymns well requires good listening skills, the ability to adjust to changing acoustics depending on the size of the congregation, providing inspiration for the congregation to keep a steady tempo, and dreaming up something to bridge unexpected gaps in the service. That's quite a challenge for a 14-year-old!
Also, church services and choral rehearsals have many similarities in terms of the number of participants, size of the space, location of the piano or organ, listening and response skills needed.
When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
When thinking about college choices, I began thinking about various possible majors. Since I felt very strongly that I would never be able to live without music, the decision was an easy one.
Settling on the piano took a little longer. I started out majoring in organ. However, my older sister is such a good organist, that was a big factor in my choosing something else. In addition, it turned out that I was more comfortable playing the piano, while my sister found a better fit with organ.
That said, I have had organist/choir director/choral singing jobs in different churches and denominations since age 14.
25 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Piano lessons in Elk Grove to students of all ages and abilities.
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