Saxophone Lessons in Rodeo, CA

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Music Keyboard

It is my hope that I can give just a fraction of what those wonderful men and women gave to me, back to my students. My first experience teaching was in Marching band camp as a junior and senior in high school. As I became an veteran upperclassman, it became my job to teach the younger Freshmen and Sophomores how to march and play in the marching band. I absolutely loved passing on this knowledge and discovered I had a knack for speaking in public and an ability to clearly explain complicated ideas to my to those listening. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Viola Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I love seeing my students grow in their knowledge and appreciation of music! Excellence is rewarding, and I teach the process to get there from whatever level we begin. I use positive reinforcement and notice what the student is doing right. Then, I give critique and an action plan to improve performance. It feels good for the student and teacher when they learn the methods to break down what is currently difficult into smaller pieces so that it is both manageable and possible to go further than they thought. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder Piccolo

My lessons are typically structured in the following way: 10% Warm Up/Tone Development 30% Reviewing Mastered Material 40% Learning New Concepts and Material 20% Sight-Reading Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Ukulele Mandolin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I approach teaching in a way that encourages students to learn at a pace that's comfortable for them. Since the lessons are one -on-one, there is no need to keep up with a herd like you're in school. So I try to give a healthy balance of goals that are attainable only if the student practices and reviewing material from the past to see what has been retained while also showing how certain musical material is not like riding a bike... you will forget without some upkeep. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

My experience in teaching is not only in the musical aspect. I was also a Spanish teacher for Centro Latino in Berkeley. Teaching music is like teaching another languages. In my specialties, clarinet and saxophone, the pause, breathing and acentuation have a very important part in phrasing the notes. The melody should flow "as we speak", in a normal way and with the right entonation. I have two children who are also musicians, an 11 year old daughter and a 13 year old son. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

My style of teaching also varies greatly with each individual. Some students have specific music from school or from outside music groups that they want to learn and also need to learn the skills to be able to play that particular music. Other students come with a desire just to improve their current abilities, and we find ways to do that by choosing inspiring music together. Sometimes playing duets is a great way to do that, and when its not possible to play together in real time I make recordings that the student can enjoy playing with. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I've blended my methods with a response to each student I work with by requesting their trust, listening to their places of comfort and interest in playing music, and discovering new avenues of development with the student. I encourage them to draw from those areas in our sessions as we develop our repertoire and enhance individual growth from there. For beginners I tend to start with either Standard of Excellence books or Rubank and build custom practices from there. Read More