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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Redwood City . 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 Voice
I had my first paying gig at 7 years old and have never looked back! Always striving to keep my repertoire relevant, I developed a great ear that allows me to learn many songs quickly. I always emphasize that in my teaching so that a student is not only playing, but actively listening too. My teaching method is very open and is tailored for each individual student. With some I do any combination of technique, theory, composition, and improvisation. Read More
Instruments: Piano Keyboard
i individualize my teaching approach based on the unique needs of each student, whether they are children or adults. Each student learns differently and some learn by hearing and copying; others learn best with reading music. I don't use one approach for everyone. I change my method for each student and based on their schedule, we move at a pace appropriate to their needs. Everyone learns differently. Some rely on listening so with these students I show them how to do parts of music and they listen and copy. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin
I like to start by teaching all of the students music theory before we play any instruments. In the real world, you cannot read a book properly if you do not know the "ABC's". I strongly believe the same goes with music. Once we learn the fundamentals of music theory, learning songs, and other instruments will become a lot easier. Once we have the music theory settled down, we will play books. Read More
Instruments: Piano Organ
I try my very best to avoid criticism, encourage curiosity, and open doors at every lesson. Constant criticism can put a permanent damper on a student's love of music. Exploration can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment! In the Photo Gallery above, the first pic is of David, age 6-1/2, playing organ for the first time. He has been watching me play during a church service, so I offered to show him a few things. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice
I have found that this helps the student to progress more quickly and gain a true love of music. I also like to have my students work on a wide variety of repertoire, even if they would like to specialize in only one field. Coming from a liberal arts college,I find that having a specialty while also being well versed in other fields as well is important to a successful music study. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Ukulele Mandolin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I always say that rhythm is more important than the notes. Play the right rhythm and the notes will come instead of playing every right note while sacrificing rhythm. I encourage students to make their mistakes loud, proud, and in rhythm so everyone has a better idea of what needs to be worked on most. I also emphasize isolating parts to practice and working backwards. Example: play the last two bars of the song until comfortable with it, now play the last 4 bars, last 6, last 8...etc., whole song. Read More
Instruments: Piano
My students are provided with a solid musical and technical foundation that allows them to feel comfortable in any of the countless musical contexts they will encounter as they embark on a life-long musical journey! Most piano methods books are "C and G-centric," causing students to learn to only feel comfortable playing on the white keys and then become either terrified or bewildered any time there is more than one sharp or flat in the key signature. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Double Bass
What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
The bass is a very challenging instrument physically. It takes a lot of physical strength and stamina just to get through a song. This fact can lead to an unhealthy focus on the technical and mechanical aspects of playing the instrument, sometimes at the expense of musicality. It seems to me that bassists should aspire to the same levels of artistry as singers or other instrumentalists, which requires both a high level of technique and also an awareness that this technique is in service of musicality and not the goal in and of itself. This can be an especially hard balance to strike on the bass.
Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
The local high school music teacher Steve McNeal was very encouraging when I was 12 or 13 and just starting to play bass. He would let me stay after summer orchestra sessions to study privately with him and practice double bass (since my family couldn't afford one at the time). Before I realized it I was learning to read music and starting to get a handle on the instrument. His optimism and enthusiasm were inspiring and he let music be fun, which I still think it is, and I am grateful for that.
Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I started playing bass guitar and double bass at the same time, in the summer between 6th and 7th grade.
I had learned a bit on the guitar, due to my father being a professional jazz guitarist, but didn't start practicing seriously until I took up the bass. Something clicked for me and I began practicing 6-8 hours a day (which I still do when I get the chance!). I think I loved the physicality of the bass--it takes your whole upper body just to play certain notes on the upright bass--and the fundamental role it plays in so many kinds of music. Whether playing in a chamber orchestra or in a metal band or a jazz ensemble, it always felt not like the bass was the captain of the ship, but definitely steering it:)
What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am very proud of some of the records I have made or played on. I still love the feeling of seeing and hearing for the first time a new release that I have played on and/or written music for. That some of these recording have positively impacted lives is the best part of it, especially when I think about how much certain records have meant to me at times.
I am also proud of being able to share and communicate through music with so many different people in so many different places. Music really is universal to the human experience, and it is giving me countless amazing experiences.
How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
I believe that exposing children to a wide variety of music is important, both for their mental and cultural development. But I do not children should be made to study music or take music lessons unless or until they are excited about it on their own. This can create a negative attitude towards making music that can be hard to get past even as adults. I believe that music is a wonderful way to enrich a child's life and help them grow as human beings, which is why I think playing music should only be encouraged if a child is excited about doing it.
When will I start to see results?
I tend of think of results in music philosophically. Music is a lifelong practice in which there is always room to grow and more to learn. I have been fortunate to play with many world class musicians, and the one thing they all have in common is the ongoing pursuit of developing further as musicians. So results can mean different things depending on one's perspective. With my own practice, it seems that I often don't notice that I've gotten something difficult in my brain or under my fingers, because by the time work in one area starts to pay off I'm already on to another focus. Consistent, focused practice, is both the method and the reward.
What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practicing should be both meditative and fun! Try to practice in a quiet place if possible, and stop in between songs or exercises and listen to the silence (or if it's not silent then focus on the birds, cars, other "non-musical" sounds you hear). This clears your ears and your mind.
It's important as well that you remember to think not just about the mechanics of what you're practicing in terms of playing your instrument, but try to really listen to how it sounds, and try to make everything--whether it's a scale or a bass line or a Charlie Parker solo--sound musically satisfying by itself.
24 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 Redwood City to students of all ages and abilities.
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