Music Lessons in Orinda, CA

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: Piano

Especially for young students, my lessons involve a great deal of activities including numerous musical games, movements, theory time, rhythm clapping, music story telling, etc. In fact, in my graduate studies, the topic of my graduation project was Musical Games. The variety of the lesson can not only solve the issue of short attention span of young children, but also reinforce learned materials, prepare for and follow up on important concepts, and simply spice up the lesson. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I enjoy observing each student’s character in their playing and design lessons tailored for them. Also finding a good balance between the music that a student is good at, and others that a student is not familiar with. Playing piano is in a way of expressing one's opinion through music. Learning the history, musicology, stories behind a piece, and the different techniques and tones for expressing the music, are all important features in my teaching. Read More

Instruments: Piano Keyboard

I set goals and targets for my students every lesson, and design assessments to determine wether they have met those goals and what they need further to succeed. At the end of each lesson, I give the student my notes for things to remember as they continue practicing throughout the week. I design my plans to be flexible with the students goal and pace, but also designed to ensure the student is getting their necessary practice time and musical training each and every week. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Piccolo Music

I do my best to find the "Goldilocks Zone" for each student; I make sure to assign exercises that aren't too easy, but not impossible. One of the newest sayings that I have adopted into my studio is "Nothing is difficult, it is just new". There is nothing in music (or life) that is too difficult; it is just new. You just need to take the time to figure out how to do it. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Piccolo

It is important and rewarding for both me and the student to have a passion for their music and learning. Because of this, it is important to me that each student sets their own goals. I will encourage and help the students to set high but realistic goals that will bring them enthusiasm for the music. I try to bring inspiration and a lot of guidance to each student. And I love to have fun. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I work from a whole-body mindfulness perspective on voice. We use our whole body to create and emit sound, not just our lungs and throat. When we work from a whole-body perspective, we are more grounded, we are better able to identify pitch and stay on pitch, our breath flows better, and the act of singing becomes enjoyable and easy. We start from identifying the student's comfortable pitches and range, and then we expand upon what is currently comfortable for a greater range. Read More