Music Lessons in Alexander Valley, CA

Instruments: Piano Keyboard

I see no difference between method and style so I will just try to add more to what has already been mentioned. I think of myself as very supportive and encouraging but I believe in having standards. When a student does well I applaud them and let them know how happy I am to see their progress. I will also let a student know when they are not doing well and not meeting some reasonable expectations. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

If you are beginning and are a child, then Hal Leonard's Essential Elements is a very general and safe place to start. I firmly believe that establishing a solid set of fundamentals is a great place to start. It is important to not lose motivation during this period, progress is rewarding and it gets even better! After a solid foundation is established fundamentally, the individual is opened into a musical world with limitless possibilities. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I have always found joy in teaching. For years, I've been sharing my knowledge with friends without charging. It all began by showing them riffs from our favorite bands and even some I had created. Gradually, I transitioned to teaching them broader musical concepts and guiding them in writing music across different genres. As word spread, my friends started recommending others to me, and I officially began teaching during my college years. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I use a variety of books, recordings, and online resources for all levels- transcriptions of classicstylesand newer artists , scale and chordreference books, solo pieces for different genres,beginning guitarmethods bytraditional publishers such as Hal Leonard and Warner Bros. plus newer books. Online video and audio content andrecording software such as garageband arealso valuable resources to work with.Learning to read and write music opens up great potential for communication and creativity- theory and improvisation are other topics that I like to teach. Read More

Instruments: Flute Piccolo

Depending on a student's musical background, I would typically start with foundational exercises like scales/arpeggios/broken chords and discussions of essential music theory elements to help a student progress. If the student is brand new to the flute, I would also do some breath work, and introduce exercises to improve tone and understand tuning. After the basics, I'd introduce solo repertoire and help students prepare for any performances they would like to take part in. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet Music

For the beginning, students will start developing the technique of sound with simple exercises and tunes during which we will explore the basic music concepts: pitch, intervals, rhythm, dynamic expression, music notation and reading. After that process, we will start studying the chords and scales relationships, applied on the instrument, to develop a comprehension of the tonal-modal system. Then we will start playing more complex tunes and studying solos of the most important referents in the style you want to absorb in the musical language you want to explore. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For all of my students, I like to blend what they need to know and what they want to know. I find that especially teaching guitar, learning it is very goal oriented. My students and I always come up with their goals during each lesson so they can have something to work up to for each week. Practice does make perfect, so I do strongly encourage practicing at least a couple hours a day. Read More