Music Lessons in Portage Bay, WA

Instruments: Voice Music

My mission statement is To teach with encouragement, humor, patience, and simple terminology, using applied science and body-awareness, all with the goal of vocal expressiveness. I always create a safe, supportive environment where my students can learn to express themselves through singing effectively. I use the McClosky Technique that employs applied science to help my students to sing with complete relaxation and freedom applied to any style of singing. My philosophy of teaching is based on the fact that working on voice technique is really an athletic process, and follows these principles: o A good voice teacher will let your true voice reveal itself, then follow it wherever it goes with encouragement and well-informed instruction. o A good voice teacher wont jump to conclusions about your voice but listen to how you describe your own experience and take it from there. o A good voice teacher will engage in deep listening with the goal of achieving complete relaxation when singing and speaking. o A good voice teacher will help you learn how to feel your body guiding you. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola Electric Violin Fiddle

I teach using a combination of the Pascale Method (a very good set of pre-written lessons for the very young student), I Can Read Music's rhythm exercises (goes along with the Suzuki books), Strings Fun and Easy, and Suzuki. In addition, I now start students in third position, which has proven to be so very beneficial to my students. During lessons, students should expect to receive a very firm foundation on which to lay their more advanced skills. Read More

Instruments: Clarinet

My teaching style is interactive and utilizes positive reinforcement to achieve the desired results. I demonstrate often, and I also ask the student to play back to me what I demonstrate. This is particularly helpful with online lessons, as the lag time makes it impossible to play together as we would in person. I also incorporate music theory into my lessons, so students are simultaneously learning to play the instrument and understanding the theory behind what they are playing. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice French Horn Music

Music lessons should be a playground for exploration! It is my job to meet students where they are and invite them to rise to new heights in their performance. Lessons are a series of small steps. The journey of learning music is a marathon, not a sprint. I work to gauge where students are coming from, attempting to engage the experience from all the different dimensions of their lives in order to create a pace that is meaningful and effective for each student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trombone Bass Guitar Euphonium Tuba

My teaching experience dates back to my college days, as I began teaching private lessons part time 30 years ago, and have been consistently teaching students in my home studio for the last15 years. Encouraging regular practice on a consistent schedule is one of the key points I like to emphasize for younger students, as it tends to help the student progress and gain a passion for the instrument. I've also found that a combination of classical and modern music can go a long way in helping students enjoy theinstrument and motivate them to practice and continue to learn. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

My teaching style is very much tailored to what each of my individual student’s needs. This is the glory of private lessons! We can take our time. I like to give my students a mix of my required repertoire and songs that they have passions for. This keeps me restocking and updating my library, and helps the kids to have more fun in their lessons. Sometimes doing something fun that we love can take away from the stress that learning the language of music can be. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Flute Clarinet

My teaching experienceis is this---I started teaching in High School, and taught at Hoboken School of the Arts for a while, 5years at Highline School District teaching music, 5years at Federal Way Schools teaching music. 7 years in Seattle teaching Clarinet Flute and Piano in the Central District, and at Washington Middle School (gifted students) I have happily taught for Musika for 9 years= clarinet flute, and piano. I taught for 10 years in the view ridge neighborhood while I was getting my degree at college. Read More