Piano Lessons in Newcastle, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Trumpet Fiddle French Horn Electric Guitar

For beginning students, I try to figure out what if any familiarity with the instrument or connected genres the student already has and plan to orient lessons around that. If they're absolute beginners with no specific interests yet, as is often the case with children, I focus on teaching fundamentals of the instrument's technique, music theory relevant to reading sheet music and understanding scales, keys, and time signatures. If it seems like it would help I'd move on to the Suzuki method or at least to simple songs and etudes. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute

Once a foundation is established on the instrument, the priority is guiding the student toward finding her/his individual voice and expression. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

For beginning students who are children, I introduce theory, rhythm, as well as the instrument to give them a basic understanding of all of the aspects of music. Once the students has a basic grasp of the fundamentals, we will learn songs appropriate for their level. For adult students, I try to teach based on their interests, choose appropriate repertoire and help them meet and accomplish their own goals. The most important is that the students are enjoying themselves and learning - my main goal is to help the students succeed. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Ukulele Keyboard

For beginning and intermediate students on piano, I generally teach out of Piano Adventures as a supplement, but teach other songs the student requests. For voice lessons, I tailor my supplemental book teaching to the students individual learning abilities, as well as learning songs they are passionate about. My philosophy on learning music is that a students should NEVER play a song that they hate! I tailor my instruction accordingly to keep lessons engaging and fun, no matter what their skill level. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I analyze each individual student. I design a plan according to their needs.  I give students arrangements of pieces that they will be inspired to play.  A lot of my teaching is based on some of the great teachers that I studied with in the past. I am 59 years old and currently teach in the San Diego area. I have been teaching for 40 years. I was playing professionally in the Chicago area when I was 16 years old. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute

I'm a composer-flutist and flute/piano teacher who received a PhD in music composition and theory with departmental distinction from UC Davis in June 2021. I also hold a master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory and a bachelor's from Columbia University. My own compositions have been performed at music festivals across the U.S. and in Europe. I have won several calls for scores, including calls from the Sewanee Summer Music Festival (2020), North/South Consonance (2019), Vox Musica (2017), and New Music on the Bayou (2016). Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music Keyboard

As a teacher, my aim is to help students unlock the meaning and message of any piece of music. For me, teaching and learning are both about exploration, inquiry and experimentation. And I approach each lesson fully committed to spark a student’s imagination and musical understanding through these principles. The joy in my teaching is seeing students’ ideas develop and being there to guide them each step of the way! Read More