Piano Lessons in San Gabriel, CA

Instruments: Piano Voice

I believe the ultimate goal of teaching piano lessons should be to make the student independent of the teacher. This requires years of training, while the student learns how to listen to his or her playing and acquires a musical technique and the requisite skills.Focus on developing musical skills is essential to good piano teaching. Traditional methods immediately teach students to learn to read music, while other methods (such as Suzuki and piano-by-chords approaches) ignore music notation altogether, citing other advantages. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

My Methods: Fundamentals of breath work - incorporating several physical exercises and methods of showing the coordination until it is ingrained Focus on the use of the resonators - projecting the sound to the different cavities where sound resonates before leaving your body and into the room (i.e. 'the mask', mouth resonance, chest resonance, etc) Reducing tongue tension - a common issue is root of the tongue tension and I have several exercises to address this Improving range - most of my students gain notes in their belt range and their head range, and often in their low range as well Increasing the legato vocal line - here we focus on linking the vowels properly supported by the breath Jaw tension - similar to tongue we have evercises for this Style - different approaches such as riffing, back phrasing, using a glottal attack, using a breathy attack - creating colorful expressive phrases that link to the emotion of the song and the style desired Musicality - learning to read music, counting tempo, sustaining pitch, syncopation, dynamics, etc Diction - correct vowel shapes and enunciation + awareness of when tension closes down the vocal line if diction is carried over from speaking habits Performance - using tools from acting training to perform a song effectively and believably Career consultation - when appropriate, also offered Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin

I am an active member of Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC). My students take the Certificate of Merit (CM) test annually in performance, theory, sight-reading and ear training. Taking the CM test is optional but highly recommended. I also make sure my students have plenty of chances at performing on stage at recitals by organizing my own recitals or joining forces with other MTAC teachers. Having a recital to practice for is a great motivation for students to practice daily and gives the parents the chance to see their children's accomplishments. Read More

Instruments: Piano

From the time I became a college student at the age of 20, I started part-time piano teaching and have been giving piano lessons to students for over 25 years. I have extensive experience as a kindergarten teacher, church accompanist, piano instructor at church music schools and piano academies. Additionally, I teach over 30 students through private lessons and organize biannual recitals for them. Not only within the United States, but also internationally, I have guided my students to achieve excellent results in various competitions. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums

I have been teaching on and off for over 2 decades. In that time I have 3 instructional DVD's, a book published by Mel Bay and hundreds of hours of home instruction to my credit. Believe it or not there is a similarity in directing and writing for TV and entering your home to teach drums to yourself or your children; you are inviting in a point of view. An opinion. A trusted person that can entertain as well as inspire you or your children to be better everyday. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For all students from beginners to adults I use Alfred's Piano books as they are very transparent and easy to follow. I also strongly believe that even beginner students as early as 4 can learn scales and chords even though many teachers don't introduce such things until they reach an older age and have more experience. It is very apparent to me that many teachers under estimate how truly brilliant children are and how they can soak up material much more quickly at a younger age. Read More

Instruments: Piano Flute Music Keyboard

Practice expectation is 30-45 minutes per day, 5-6 days per week. YEARS 6-8: LATE INTERMEDIATE/EARLY ADVANCED LEVEL Students who stay in lessons for this long have a skill set that sets them up for the rest of their lives. There is a level of mastery achieved that allows for incredible freedom to learn whatever one might want; Classical, Jazz, Pop, or otherwise. Student music requests are expected. At this stage, students may need to make choices about how to spend their time. Read More