Piano Lessons in Manhattan Beach, CA

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet French Horn Piccolo Oboe

My approach to learning an instruments is to have the students learn to play by ear first before they can start learning to read music. I find that most students are able to progress quickly because it frees them to focus on the playing the instruments rather than reading notes. I consider reading music like different subject that they learn later. Learning music is like learning to speak. First we learn to talk and then we learn to read and write. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

While the technique is the same, the approach can be very different for each student. I first work on breath, then warm up the voice with exercices and then we sing and have fun. I accompany my students on the piano and encourage them to perform at recitals if they feel up for it. Working with children is different: For piano only, I use the Faber+Faber material, it's a fun and easy approach and works very well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Orchestral Percussion Conga

I set fun goals and I challenge each student every step of the way to help them reach them. I point out their strengths yet I keep a close eye on their weaknesses and work with them to eliminate any all bad habits in playing instruments. After a few weeks I quiz them and reward them for overcoming any obstacles. I really like to have my students play in front of friends and family after around 3 months of studying. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums

My teaching experience dates back to when I was a student at the Los Angeles High School for the Arts. While pursuing my own education I also had five private drum students ranging from the ages of 7-15. I am fortunate enough to have learned a great deal about teaching all different ages from my father, who has been a private guitar teacher for over 35 years. During my time at Berklee College of Music, I taught group clinics and while our tour with the Karen Lovely Band I mentored mentally handicapped music students in the Netherlands with a group called United By Music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Accordion French Horn Music Keyboard

As I mentioned in the "about me" section, I served as principal horn with Държавна опера Стара Загора (the Bulgarian State Opera in Stara Zagora) from late 2017 to the very end of 2019, right before the pandemic hit. Before that, from 2016-2017, I taught public school for the first (and last) time in Natoma, Kansas, acting as the band, choir, and advanced music instructor. That same year I also taught at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas as Interim Professor of Horn and also was a staff collaborative pianist. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I believe every mind and thus every student is different. So especially when teaching something inherently creative like music, I almost always have to be inventive with my pedagogy. Every student has their own interests, learning style, and goals, and as an educator, listening to and really HEARING those is just step 1. Step 2, 3, etc. is to "creatively" construct a curriculum that fits that student; creativity is a requirement. To use specific example to highlight my teaching style, I worked with a boy named Adam from the time he was 9 through about 13. Read More