Piano Lessons in Arbor Heights, WA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Lap Steel Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I began teaching private music lessons while I was working on my Bachelor of Music degree. I also was a teaching assistant for guitar classes at the university that I attended. After I graduated I continued to teach privately, at music stores and technical colleges including Lake Washington Technical College. I taught at Bellevue American Music for over twenty years. I teach many styles including classical, jazz and modern styles and I encourage my students to explore different genres of music to keep them excited and motivated. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

I am a very hands-on teacher. We do lots of improvisation and call and response games and sometimes I turn on a record or even bring a guitar to jam with the student. Playing drums is a very visceral, tactile excersize, and I often tell students, "That right there,that is how it's supposed to sound! Memorize that feeling and try to recreate it everytime." I am also a huge advocate of having students listen to as much music as possible. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

I work with each student on a case to case basis, each student has different needs and approaches, all of which I try and accommodate. I encourage my students to practice at least an hour a day, this can be done in ten minute intervals or whatever amount of time the student can maintain focus. I would also love to hear about what my student is interested in and what I can do to help them become a more well rounded musician. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

My teaching methods depend on the instrument, age and experience of the student, and the goals for the lessons. Every student will develop a solid base of fundamentals and music reading that grows into study of a variety of styles of music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Synthesizer Keyboard

Each student gets a chance to listen, write, read, and play music at every lesson. The emphases of lesson materials will depend on the student's goals, but each element of music is important in its own right. It is also crucial to listen to other genres and styles that may be out of the scope of the lesson. Music is a complex and wonderful creation, and there have been many contributions to it over many years. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola

For younger students who are beginning, I usually start with Hal Leonard's Essential Elements. This book has great materials for setting up the violin and bow hold, reading notes, rhythm and other musical markings, and introducing basic music theory such as time and key signatures. Also, this book incorporates the foundation of all musical learning, scales and arpeggios, into fun exercises that are enjoyable for every student.For older students who have more experience, I have a range of etudes from Sevcik to Kreutzer that can futher develop and solidify a good foundation of technique.For musical training, I use solo repertoire from Suzuki and other sources that are appropriate for each student's level so that he/she can be healthily challenged musically and technically while feeling accomplished during performances. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Double Bass

My method is to help students play the music they want to play, whether it's Miles Davis or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I like to start my lessons by working on a song of the students choice to spark their interest. From there, I move to focusing on the students needs technically, rhythmically and theoretically. Additionally, I have my students practice improvisation, in some capacity, at each lesson. I want my students to feel comfortably making music on the fly and I set up low stakes environments for them to hone this skill. Read More