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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Kirkland . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Piano Drums Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion Music
I have taught in the classroom, small group settings as well as one on one in both piano and drumset. My favorite thing about music instruction is connecting with the students on a musical and personal level. I started studying piano at the age of 5, making it my career as a teacher after college and into adult life. Choosing to focus more on drumset and percussion studies at the age of 11, I then studied Percussion Studies in College, playing in many bands and in multiple styles. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I like working with students in a way where our love of music is the center of our attention, as such musicality is always the goal. For beginner students who’d like to sight-read, I like to start with the Alfred Modern Guitar Method 1 and supplement that with the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method, Grade 1, or Frederick Noad’s Solo Guitar 1 if we’re learning classical guitar. Alternatively, if the student wishes to take a route in which he/she does not sight-read musical notation, I like to start with basic picking technique, proper guitar positioning, reading tabs and chord diagrams. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice
I use the Faber Faber Piano Adventures series, and I also use the Music Tree as well. I enjoy other methods but mostly use them as supplementary material. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion
No matter where the student starts from, I always spend a significant amount of time in the first lesson discussing with them what they want to gain, what they are interested in, and how much time and effort they want to put into this endevor. It is important to me to understand the student so that I can cater to their needs and desires, and hopefully encourage them to continue playing music. Read More
Instruments: Piano Violin
To my surprise, everyone, including that 6 year old, had a clear answer. All of them were different reasons and goals. I started writing notes at the end of each lesson on what a student had specifically struggled with, mastered, showed signs of improvement since the previous lesson, what exercises were draining on them, and what exercises they resonated with. I also took note of their mood and energy at the beginning of the lesson compared to the end. Read More
Instruments: Piano
I started playing piano since I was about 4 years old and I've been teaching since the summer of 2017. I passed the ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam in 2012 and the ABRSM Grade 8 Piano Performance exam in 2016. I also won several music scholarships during high school. 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. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Clarinet Bass Guitar Organ Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Double Bass Keyboard Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar
Why did you choose your primary instrument?
Unfortunately I never chose a primary instrument. I chose piano at age six because there was a piano in the house. I chose clarinet in fifth grade but it did not become a primary instrument because I wanted to play in jazz band in high school and played bass because that was needed. Bass was my primary professional instrument up to about 1990 when I started playing guitar and mandolin professionally. Then when I studied to be a church musician I was back to playing piano and added organ. In essence I have become a jack-of-all-trades on instruments. I don't recommend having such diversity because it keeps one from mastering a specific instrument; though I do enjoy playing all the instruments I have chosen.
What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
When I first started at the church I currently work at the congregation was not a singing congregation. Now they are a great singing congregation and I believe that my accompaniment approach is a key part to that singing.
Another accomplishment that is important to me is that the gypsy jazz band I played in for several years played on the main stage of North America’s largest gypsy jazz festival. A great moment.
I also am always glad when I run across a former student that is still playing and tell me how much it enriches their life.
Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
A clarinet student became the winner of the state solo/ensemble contest.
What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
On guitar the hardest thing is to learn to read music without tablature. Because some pitches can be played in multiple spots it can be challenging to know where to play the notes when reading. In some instances one might have two or three solutions before one settles on the best choice.
Another challenge with guitar is to play rhythm well, particularly when using a plectrum/pick. One needs to play so that it sounds smooth and does not drag.
The third challenge is to play with good tone whether using fingers, fingernails, fingerpicks or a plectrum.
Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
On piano I build my lessons around the John Thompson method and supplement it with other materials to give a balanced foundation of many eras and genres.
On guitar, if a classical beginning is chosen, I use the Noad method or the Christofer Parkening method.
For other fingerstyle approaches I use Hal Leonard’s Guitar Workshop series for Fingerstyle guitar supplemented by appropriate materials from Oak Publications.
For bluegrass based material I primarily use Osk Publications.
If the student desires to learn gypsy-jazz I use books by Michael Hortoeitz.
24 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Piano lessons in Kirkland to students of all ages and abilities.
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