Piano Lessons in Sherwood, OR

Instruments: Piano

I feel that, like my piano teachers always said, practice does in fact make perfet. It's amazing what can happen with even a 1/2 hour every other day when it comes to weekly lessons. I tend to assign more, but my point is that it's extremely important to practice! Also, what helped students the most - across the board - was theory workbooks, especially when it came to composition. Getting students interested in composing lends way to their completion rate when it came to homework too! Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Ukulele Conga Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I am a driven and passionate instructor who focuses on students' artistic and personal growth as musicians. I began my musical journey as a singer, moving towards piano and guitar throughout my formative years. In high school, I performed as a choral singer, musical theatre artist, and as a pianist for both jazz groups and worship settings. While an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, I studied tenor voice with renowned operatist John De Haan and piano performance with Jamaican pianist Paul Shaw. Read More

Instruments: Piano Cello

My teaching philosophy is that anyone can learn. Any dreams or goals a student may have, it is my job to make them happen! For beginners, I teach using the Suzuki method. I find that they can be very helpful and that many kids enjoy the songs within them. For intermediate and advanced students, I use a combination of the Suzuki books, chamber music, and outside works. I find learning how to work with other musicians and how two parts might fit together is as essential as learning theory and technique itself. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I am a believer of structure AND fun. I typically start students with basic technical work, combined with creative games to keep the skills relevant and interesting. Then I introduce more complicated process and ideas into the mix, while allowing the students to find out their own voices. I can't prescribe one way of teaching to differnet people, therefore I won't until I get to meet that student! :) An avid lover of dance and yoga, I incorporate lots of movement games, body work, and breathing exercises in my lessons. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Music has been a huge focus of my life since a young age, and growing up to be a performer and instructor in the art seems very logical to me, but frankly I wouldn't care to do anything else! I believe my musical life has allowed me to develop intelligence and mental discipline through creative expression, and is my way of connecting to society-at-large, our collective history and the future I seek to creature for myself. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

Friendly and encouraging interaction with students makes for a pleasant experience and allows students to achieve their potential. Lessons are an opportunity to explore creative expression through music. The fundamentals of music are the tools for creative expression.  Creative expression is encouraged even in the beginner's first lesson. I like to explore music from the basic structure of the symbols used and how the sounds are grouped to the more complex. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Clarinet Bass Guitar Synthesizer Ukulele Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For kids I find that having a large quantity of music to learn at each level gives more variety and sense of achievement, so I usually recommend beginning students have multiple books to aid in learning. For example a young piano student will study from lesson, theory, performance, and technique books each week. This yields a well-rounded student who is proud of their achievements and eager to move forward. For adults I recommend a lesson/theory combination book at least to help with reading music. Read More