Piano Lessons in Novato, CA

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

I first started teaching at age 17, whilst in the UK, and continued to do so through college and University, I am also now a working Musical Director, which involves musicianship instruction and voice technique. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Keyboard

For piano the first part of the lesson is always technique (like doing push ups and running laps before u get on the court or field). Scales, Hanon, arpeggios etc... Then working on reading music and learning repertoire. Also fun parts, which depend on the student. Fun parts could be learning chord progressions of their favorite songs or writing their own music, or learning an cool jazz or rock jam song, learning how to be comfortable improvising, jamming with others etc.. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I like to emphasize learning technique through pieces, rather than practicing only technique on its own, as that can get boring very quickly! For beginning students, I like to start with the Piano Adventures series, which has pieces which are easy, teach basic techniques, but also are musically interesting. Once they have the fundamentals, we can begin working on solo repertoire that interests the student. For older students who are interested in 20th century music, I like to teach Bartok's Mikrokosmos. Read More

Instruments: Piano Ukulele Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

I'd say my teaching style is first tailored to each individual student- their learning style, their genre interest, and their goals. Some student respond to more traditional classical structure, and some respond to improvisation as a way of learning musical concepts. What's exciting is finding out which style each student has, and always come back to the joy keeps them motivated. While I am flexible in this regard, I do have specific practice assignments and repetition exercises that are the work of learning an instrument. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Conga Latin Percussion

Jake has been playing guitar and percussion for over 20 years. He teaches all levels of guitar and congas, as well as beginning piano, voice and drum set. He went to Berkeley High School where he played guitar in the BHS Jazz Ensemble. He then attended the New School in New York City, majoring in jazz guitar studies. He has studied jazz guitar with Steve Erquiaga, Dave Creamer and Jack Wilkins, and congas with Josh Jones, Sandy Perez and other Cuban percussionists. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

For voice, I will typically start with technique and breath. The first lesson is heavy in feeling the anatomy of the body to cultivate a coordinated breath for the most optimal and healthy singing. From there, we move into warm-ups, and will adjust vowels to find resonant spaces. Generally, with the voice, after the initial work with anatomy there is an improvisatory style of teaching that I develop, catered to the individual. Read More

Instruments: Piano Organ

I love forming partnerships with my students. When we work together, we begin to speak the same language and work toward your goals in a positive way. You will have an opportunity to play music from various styles and musical periods. There is no predestined path here. I tried that when I was in my 20's, and learned very quickly that every student is different. Everyone's paths diverged, and all those notes I had taken to plan ahead for the next six months didn't work at all. Read More