Music Lessons in Glen Ellen, CA

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I'm a passionate teacher that expects the best from his students. But at the same time I want my students to enjoy the music they are creating. In 2008, I graduated from the University of Illinois with a BM in Jazz Performance/Saxophone Performance. I have been fortunate to travel and play in 105 countries all over the world playing at many jazz festivals and concert halls. While traveling I was also asked to speak at schools as well as many top Universities in France, England, China, and the Philippines. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

I began teaching bass guitar and double bass in 2006 privately from my studio and in music schools and academies. I use a combined classical and modern approach to music, taking full advantage of all my musical knowledge and music skills to find and build the most appropriate one for each individual student, helping them enjoy the music and bass, encouraging them to study and practice. I have also planned and taught music classes in elementary and middle schools as well as at summer programs. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I am a very supportive and encouraging teacher who loves helping students reach new achievements. To me, there is no better feeling than seeing the light bulb click for each student as they learn new concepts. It gives me so much joy seeing a student do something they thought they could never do before. I understand that each student is different with different learning curves so I do make each lesson different for every student's needs. Read More

Instruments: Music

I primarily teach the saxophone to younger students, and in this area I emphasize the fundamentals of tone production and the development of the musical imagination. My thinking here is simple: if you understand how the instrument works and you can imagine how something should sound, it takes only a matter of experimentation and diligence to achieve your goals. If the student is prepared to do this, I am there as an enthusiastic supporter and facilitator. Read More

Instruments: Clarinet

My start in music was unexpected; I was set on a life in academia as a literature student when an honor band experience late in high school led me to swerve into a life in performing music. My teachers early on were very accepting and generous with me, as a student with vastly less experience than his peers, but I consumed their teaching ravenously. As a teacher, I began teaching young students as a summer job during my undergrad and later worked as a section coach for concert band clarinet sections in the Puget Sound area; during my graduate degree, I gave undergrads informal, routine lessons at their request, to supplement their own lesson experience. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar

Flowing between the presentation of new information and the actual active playing music is very important to the way I conduct lessons. Especially for the young, I place much more emphasis on facilitating musical experiences rather than the integration of musical nomenclature and conceptualization. When we learn to speak, our ears guide us first, and we imitate. Writing and reading comes later. I've found that this pertains to music as well, if not even moreso. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Ukulele

I like to use supplementary materials if a method book isn't covering musical territory that the student wants to explore. Although I insist a student learn to read music, I encourage learning by ear and have helped students find a melody on the piano by ear rather than reading notes. Patience is my watchword but I will always encourage and document practice times. I tell the student, you can't achieve your music goals without practice, preferably every day. Read More