Music Lessons in Bethel Island, CA

Instruments: Piano Voice Organ Synthesizer Keyboard

If you’ve tried and failed, or even if you’ve never touched a piano, Smiley can teach you. And, you’ll have fun doing it because with my easy approach to learning, you will start playing the songs you like from day one, not practicing endless scales all the time, and boring music language that would be difficult to understand the first day. With my easy learning how to play approach, you would lean your first song and be able to play it, over and over until you learn a new song to share. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Piccolo

For beginning students, I place a large emphasis on the fundamentals i.e. scales, chord progressions etc. I also start them on solo pieces and like them to choose the pieces they are working on. I believe that if they choose their repertoire then they will have greater love and enthusiasm for the music. I also encourage them to push beyond what they think they can do. I work hard to match my teaching style to the needs of each and every student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Flute Drums Ukulele Recorder Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

I learn by doing and I believe that my students should play what inspires them! If it's classical, let's study Bach and Mozart together - if it's Latin, let's study Dave Valentin and Johnny Pacheco. I have always had a broad taste in music and I think it's wonderful when students bring me songs that inspire them. Let's work the chords out together and study the greats! I believe that the engaged student will be the successful student. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I have been paying guitar for over 15 years. My love of improvisation brought me to the California Jazz Conservatory where I have been studying since 2012. In fall 2016 I will graduate with a B.M. in Jazz Studies, focusing on guitar. I play in a local rock/funk band, The Electic Soul Factory, and I am a founder a of The Moldy Fig Improvised Music Collective, for which I compose and arrange the material. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Euphonium

I encourage trombone mouthpiece exercises and long tones at the beginning of my lessons as proper embouchure flexibility is important to practicing and playing better. Breathing is another aspect that I look at and always breathe by expanding the diaphragm. I use the essential elements series for trombone beginners and melodious etudes for more experienced trombone players. I believe in breaking down difficult pieces into chunks to work on in order to improve upon more difficult passages. Read More

Instruments: Voice Music

I try to make my lessons fun but challenging enough for there to be growth! There are days when our voices don't work as well as we'd like them to. I want my students to know that that's completely normal. Us singers have to learn vocal technique to help support ourselves on our "vocally-bad days" and to keep our only pair of vocal cords healthy at all times. If I notice a student is getting frustrated or hitting a wall with their voice, we may take a break to work on more technical things. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Clarinet

When I was ten, I made the decision that whatever career I chose, I needed it to allow me to help people. As I got older and discovered that music was the thing I most wanted to do in this life, teaching voice and piano became the vehicle I needed to keep doing music as well as help people, like I wanted. In training my voice classically, I had the very best instructor who taught me how to sing the healthy way. Read More