Piano Lessons in Portland, OR

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Clarinet Drums Synthesizer Ukulele Recorder Tuba Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Oboe Bassoon English Horn Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

When will I start to see results?
Each lesson has a detailed a measurable student-led goal. With regular practice and patience anyone can find success within a short period of time, of course keeping in mind that it will time and work to reach your bigger goals.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Consistency is key; it is more valuable to practice 10 minutes everyday than to practice 1 hour a week. With slow practice you'll grow quickly, but with fast practice you'll grow slower. Use of metronome, practice fundamentals 2-5+min each practice session. Audio/video record your practice to best see your progress. Finally, find your bliss in music , for me, that was playing video game music as well as playing with jazzy backing tracks; finding your bliss in music will help give you motivation to keep practicing.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I chose the clarinet because I really loved it's sound, the unique lows and highs along with the different ways that the clarinet can be used.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of the work that I put into my senior clarinet recital in college. I managed two medium-sized student groups, got the joy of performing one of my own compositions, and even put together unique art and videos to go along with the performance. It took over a year to put together and I'm very pleased with the results.

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
During my first year teaching I had a third grader who I gave music/piano lessons to and I later nominated them for the NW Young Musicians award, it's been years since then but I hear they are still active in learning music will start in orchestra next year.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
On clarinet I think that the hardest thing to master is going over the break; from A to B, from basically no fingers to all fingers on it took me months to even make it work, and I still practice that shift every practice session. On piano I think that the hardest thing to master is playing different parts on each hand On guitar I think that the hardest thing to master is playing while singing

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Fundamentals; long tones, scales, thirds, tuning/ear-training Figuring out goals for that practice session/listening to the piece I'm practicing Big picture practice of large chunks, looking for trouble areas slow practice with a metronome on trouble areas End with sight reading and/or something fun. An important part to every practice session is to take your time cleaning and putting away your instrument.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
My Bachelors of Arts is in K-12 Music Education, I am endorsed in instrumental, vocal, and general music. during my education I learned theory, history, all instruments, jazz, piano, and composition.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
Technically my first instrument was an electronic keyboard in 3rd grade, then recorder in 4th and clarinet in 5th. I Recorder to clarinet was a simple choice, I just loved the sound of it. In 6th grade I switched to bass clarinet mostly to sit closer to my best friend at the time who played trombone. In middle I picked up tenor sax so that I could play in more jazz groups, and in high school I got a both an electric guitar to play my favorite rock songs, and acoustic guitar so that I would play guitar while camping. In collage I fell in love with both collecting instruments and string instruments, especially cello.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Music does not run in my family at all. Not a single person in my immediate nor extended family has any passions for nor experience with music. That being said my mum was absolutely supportive, diving me to many honor groups, and rehearsals.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I decided that I wanted to musical profession from a young age, I've always loved learning about, playing, and creating music, it runs through my very soul. However, it wasn't till late high school that I started to gain my passion for becoming a teacher, I remember my senior year of high school I played with the high school music groups and then would go over the middle school and help out with the band and choir. Each opportunity I've gotten to share my passion has been very reaffirming that this is what I want to do with my life and am always looking forward to my next musical adventure.

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