Music Lessons in Calistoga, CA

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet Music

My name is Cristóbal. I was born in Santiago, Chile in 1978. I have a Bachelor´s Degree in Clarinet from "Universidad Católica de Chile" (Chile 1999) where I received lessons from Francisco Gouet and the great Luis Rossi (I have one of his well known handmade Bb Clarinets). I studied Jazz Saxophone with Marcos Aldana, father and teacher of the 2013 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Saxophone Competition winner, Melisa Aldana. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

A cheap guitar given to me by my parents for Christmas started this life in a direction that has formed me and sustained me for over twenty years. My love for the music is deep and true and it is, to me, still the greatest joy on the planet. Time stands still for me every time that I pick it up and play. I have become the music monk meditating on scales and chord substitutions, finding my balance with light strings and heavy rhythms. Read More

Instruments: Piano Clarinet

I started to teach piano in college, helping other beginning students around me achieve their goals. I slowly worked my way out to the community, teaching students of all ages at local churches in the area. The greatest satisfaction of teaching comes from the happiness and sense of accomplishment a student has when completing a piece for themselves or for their performance in a recital. My students have a well rounded education with playing different styles of music as well as understanding the music theory of what pieces they play. Read More

Instruments: Voice

My lessons are highly individualized and directed to the musical level of my students. My students always comment that my patience, passion and honesty help them achieve singing and performing levels that they never imagined possible. I start every new student with an honest appraisal of their starting point as well as their potential. I am very outgoing and try to understand fully each students aspirations and dedication, which is quite important. Read More

Instruments: Voice

Vocal coaching as a profession is quite new to me because until just recently I've always focused on my own development as a performer and artist, however, I've often assisted my fellow co-artists, classmates, bandmates, and even friends with improving vocal technique and performance quality. In my college classes, we were encouraged to provide feedback about a classmates performance and I absolutely loved when they would apply my advice and everyone saw a significant improvement in performances thereafter. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Trombone

I believe lessons should be fun and engaging. I believe the most improvement in a student comes from practice time, so my goal as a teacher is to show the student how to practice most effectively by applying what they learned in their lessons in their practice sessions. If it is all right with them, we can record the lesson so they can go back and watch. As a teacher, I believe it is important to be positive and supporting, giving constructive criticism guide the student to play better while also boosting the student's confidence. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I've been playing music, teaching, and performing over a variety of ways across the bay area for over 12 years. I received a degree in Jazz Studies and Composition from Sonoma State University in 2006 and have been utilizing my degree as a creative artist and sharing my knowledge with students since 2002 where I grew up in the foothills sound of Yosemite National Park. I play Saxophone, Clarinet, and Flute, along with Piano and Guitar for deeper ways of relating music to my life. Read More