Music Lessons in Capay, 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 Voice Music Keyboard

As a teacher, my aim is to help students unlock the meaning and message of any piece of music. For me, teaching and learning are both about exploration, inquiry and experimentation. And I approach each lesson fully committed to spark a student’s imagination and musical understanding through these principles. The joy in my teaching is seeing students’ ideas develop and being there to guide them each step of the way! Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Music

Learning about music involves so much more than technique or scales, but also relies so much on their emotions and mindset. I want to prioritize their own independence within these lessons in regards to choosing their own repertoire or experimenting with their own compositional style so that they can embrace how liberating and fun learning about music and being creative can be, rather than seeing it as a chore! I also want to make sure that their musical journey is built with the right mindset - a lot of the time there is unnecessary toxic, competitive energy within other musicians which defeats the whole purpose of inspirational collaboration that can come from playing music with 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: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Synthesizer Music

Teaching Philosophy I believe that a students passion for learning music begins with the instructors passion for teaching music. Even after 20 years, I find that I enjoy working with students as much today as my first year teaching. What fuels this passion, for me, is to constantly expand what I teach, and improve the way in which I teach it. This includes things like finding new songs/styles to explore, incorporating new technologies in the lesson (computer software, mp3 background tracks), teaching not only the notes on the page, but also the history behind the music and continually fine-tuning my teaching style to address the individual learning style of each student. Read More

Instruments: Voice Music

It is very importantto me that students enjoy their lessons and feel engaged in the learning process. My biggest rule is that they need to have fun andenjoy what they are doing. I am a very kind, up-beat andfriendly teacher that believes in positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. I encourage my students tocommunicate withme on an equal level and to always ask questions if they don't understand something. Watching people learn and grow as singers, and knowing that you had a hand in it, is probably one of the most rewarding parts of being a teacher. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

My teaching experience begins when I apprenticed under my Choral teacher in high school and she would ask me to work one on one with certain singers that needed extra help. I started teaching private lessons part time at 17 and continued all through college. I have been consistently teaching students in my home for the past 5 years. I am a firm believer that in order to truly excel in anything you must have a classical foundation. Read More