Music Lessons in Nut Tree, CA

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: Piano Cello Keyboard

For beginner students I like to start them with basic principles such as how to properly hold the bow and how to properly sit with the cello. I like to use methods such as Suzuki to work on musicality, and Essential elements to work on basics. For intermediate I like to work with the Popper etudes and the Bach Cello Suites, I also add some of the more advanced Suzuki books. 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: Flute

I started teaching flute more than a decade ago, and hope to share the gift of learning this universal language for years to come. I have interned for leading intellectual property and entertainment lawyers, including the former director of business affairs for Sony, the late Steve Gordon. My volunteer management experiences were filled with helping artists educate children in their respective and diverse communities. Then, after law school working for two bay area nonprofit organizations, one that focused on nonprofit compliance on an international scale and the other that is formed to dismantle systems of oppression through organizing, advocacy, and litigation, I have dovetailed my skills and beliefs into both working for civil rights, and teaching flute in expanding the reach of music education nationwide. Read More

Instruments: Piano Oboe

During the lesson, besides verbal explanation, I demonstrate by playing and ask students if they can hear the difference. I may use metaphor, abstract theory, cards, body movements depend on each individual. Once students overcome a challenge, students may acknowledge accomplishment and gain desire to progress. After each lesson, I would clearly tell my students my expectation for the next lesson. Students and I would also set the goals together for the next lesson. Read More

Instruments: Piano

My name is David Herscowitz, and I've been playing the piano since 1985 and teaching since 2005. I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to Oakland in 2012. I attended the Alexander Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles and received my BA in Music from U.C. Santa Barbara. Making music (especially with other musicians) is my favorite thing to do, and teaching others the gift of music comes in a close second! Read More

Instruments: Piano Music Keyboard

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with Faber's Piano Adventures or Suzuki's Piano School, however I am open to other books. Faber focuses more on written and piano practice whereas Suzuki focuses on auditory learning and piano practice. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their first recital performance. For adults, I try to find out what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter their ability level. Read More