Piano Lessons in Pacheco, CA

Instruments: Piano

I learned to play the piano at around age 11 and have been playing ever since. I play mostly for fun but I also play the piano and the organ for my church congregation, have accompanied many musical numbers including solos, choirs, high school performance groups and have played to entertain at weddings and in retirement homes. I have experience teaching children of various ages (from 4 to adult). I teach from either Faber Piano Adventure books or the Alfred's Basic Piano Library. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet

I am passionate when it comes to music and I believe it is an essential part of life. Students should have some form of music in there life because of the positive effects it has on the mental state. I have played trumpet for twelve years, during this time I have played in several ensembles such as; ACSI Honor Band, ACSI Honor Orchestra, University of the Pacific Concert Band, U.O.P's Pep Band etc. Read More

Instruments: Piano Accordion

My teaching style is very simple. Be creative and always involved humor. The student will know instantly if the instructor is eager to teach as the student to learn. For example, i would use a lot of metaphors and analogies to explain a musical concept. I would always tailor lessons to their level of skill. Nothing is more rewarding than to see one of my student's at a recital and i hear their parent's tell their friends,"that's my son", "he learned from the best". Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

For Voice: I always start with basic exercises. Breathing, Scales, Etc. After a few lessons, when the student is solidified in basic techniques, I will begin to introduce basic Art Song repertoire and work with the student to branch them out into their desired field of study, whether that be Opera, Pop, Musical Theater, Rock, etc. I always feel a strong base in Classical Technique is important to start with though. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Depending on the starting skill level of the student, I tend to tailor my methods to meet the particular needs of every student. I like to start off with a few basic fundamentals and techniques such as getting started with some basic common chords, and scales. I think this is the key to building my students confidence and competency with their instruments. Once you have the basics down I like to allow my students to choose which songs they'd like to have in their solo repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Organ Synthesizer Keyboard

Smiley has studied piano since the age of 5 and has been fortunate to study with the Carl Wheeler the musician who wrote and played for Tony Toni tone, as well as Beyonce and high profile headliners. Smiley has played for celebrity singers including Carlos Santana, comedian Tommy Davidson, as well as John Witherspoon. He a Degree in music from the University of Berklee, and has taught piano and voice since 2005. he enjoys working with people and uses his patience and perceptiveness to communicate music to others. 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