Piano Lessons in Davis, CA

Instruments: Piano

I began instructing young adults in harmony, theory and piano when I was nineteen in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. After high school, I began putting my poetry to music and this led to a move to California to try and make it as a songwriter. I played with several music acts in the Bay Area, toured the east coast and Midwest, and wrote music for the theater, notably an original score for Bertolt Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Trumpet Fiddle French Horn Electric Guitar

I'm a motivated and patient instructor who likes working with many different types of students and sharing what I know and love about music with others. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a microbiology degree in 2017; while most of my studies were unrelated to music, I took genre and performance classes in music throughout and played in several live music ensembles. I've played violin and guitar from a young age, learned brass and percussion in high school, and taught myself piano while in college. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Organ Synthesizer Keyboard

Smiley has studied piano since the age of 5 and has been fortunate to study with the Carl Wheeler the musician who wrote and played for Tony Toni tone, as well as Beyonce and high profile headliners. Smiley has played for celebrity singers including Carlos Santana, comedian Tommy Davidson, as well as John Witherspoon. He a Degree in music from the University of Berklee, and has taught piano and voice since 2005. he enjoys working with people and uses his patience and perceptiveness to communicate music to others. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

For children, I begin with Donald Waxman's Pageant for Piano series. The pieces are quite fun, and also good for technique. The illustrations also offer many opportunities for story-making and engagement. For adults, I begin with James Bastien's The Older Beginner Piano course, and for intermediate learners, supplement it with pieces from Bartok's Mikrokosmos, Czerny, Kabalevsky, Burgmuller's 24 Etudes, duets and various other literature as appropriate. Improvisational skills may also be taught. Read More

Instruments: Piano Music Keyboard

Nothing is more rewarding than seeing one of my students develop a passion for music! Therefore, it's important that each student progresses at his or her own pace. I encourage this by setting realistic goals for my students at each lesson. Acknowledging accomplishments helps fuel a students desire to progress, and makes students eager to learn more. By trying to find out what inspires the student, I can successfully tailor my instruction to their wants and needs. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Ukulele Keyboard

My teaching style nurtures the students love of the instrument while tossing in technical details along the way! Especially when beginning a new instrument, acknowledging goals that a student has, or songs they would like to learn to perform is essential to helping that initial eagerness to continue throughout lessons, and to help the student feel accomplished in their instrument. Together, the student and I will set realistic goals for them in their instrument to complete songs, technical aspects, warm ups, etc. and I will help them to achieve those goals. Read More