Trombone Lessons in Whittier, CA

Instruments: Trombone

I have solid and extensive experience in teaching instrument technique, improvisation, and sight reading. I've been teaching since 2012, ranging from beginners all the way to highly advanced levels, with focus either on jazz or classical music. I've worked as a freelance musician in a multitude of genres all over the world, and taught both privately and at several universities. Many of my students are now working musicians in their own right. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone French Horn

 I formally began teaching private lessons fifteen years ago and love to see the rapid musical growth that can be achieved with focused one-on-one instruction. For the last ten years, I have been a band, orchestra, and choir director at the middle school level in the Long Beach Unified School District.  This experience has helped me to streamline my music teaching process and become a much more efficient teacher in private lessons. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium Tuba

For beginning students who are not musically literate, I emphasize a program that focuses on the aquisition of skills to read music proficiently followed by a basic program that helps students get the basics of their instrument down. For intermediate musicians, I focus more on taking their basic skills and expanding on them to help them discover new abilities and progress further in their musical development. This will include playing basic to intermediate solos, etudes to develp musicianship, scales (done fun!), sight-reading, and duets. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Trumpet Trombone

Professor of Trumpet at CSUSB. I am a freelance trumpet player with over 25 years of professional experience globally with roots in Northern and Southern California. I earned a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Northridge and a Master of Music degree from UCLA, having studied with William Bing, Jens Lindemann, Uan Rasey, and Howie Shear. I have toured nationally and internationally with the Glenn Miller Orchestra (solo chair, split lead), A Chorus Line (lead trumpet), Legally Blonde (lead trumpet), Dreamgirls, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 42nd Street, Metalachi, and The Purple Ones Prince tribute band. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harp Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Lute Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Euphonium French Horn Tuba Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Shakuhachi Oboe Bassoon English Horn Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Derek is most known for his association with the John Daversa Big Band. Derek has had the pleasure of meeting and performing with many of his musical heroes. He has recorded live and studio albums with Arturo Sandoval, Jon Faddis, John Fedchock, James Morrison, Greg Gisbert, Roger Ingram, Paul Stephens, Scott Englebright, Donny Dyess, the Tastee Bros, Bernard Wright, Gene Coye, Steve Reid, Kate Reid, Melvin Butler, Ed Calle, Richard Todd, Mike Brignola, Alex Norris, Dante Luciani, John Hart, Martin Bejerano, Chuck Bergeron, Rick Margitza, and appears on the Gary Lindsay album "Are We Still Dreaming" with the South Florida Jazz Orchestra. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Recorder Euphonium Tuba

In my methods of teaching I typically like to focus on what the students want to get better at while also incorporating fundamentals and good habits. I feel that this gives the student the ability to choose what they want to do as well as my chance to show them the right way to learn it and create good habits while playing the instruments. Usually older students I try to focus more on fundamentals and I play through method books like Rochuts or for more advanced students maybe the Bitsch book. Read More

Instruments: Trombone

I work primarily with young students, we start with Book 1 of Accent on Achievement. Trombone fundamentals take a lot of time given that students must build actual muscle strength in addition to learning to read music and understanding the instrument. After a student has hit a sufficient range, we move onto the Rochut etude books. Read More