Viola Lessons West

Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Violin, Cello, Viola, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Recorder, Fiddle, French Horn, Piccolo, Oboe

My approach to learning an instruments is to have the students learn to play by ear first before they can start learning to read music. I find that most students are able to progress quickly because it frees them to focus on the playing the instruments rather than reading notes. I consider reading music like different subject that they learn later. Learning music is like learning to speak. First we learn to talk and then we learn to read and write. Read More

Instruments: Piano, Violin, Viola

I know each student is different in terms of learning style and musical goals. I make it a priority to keep the student's best interest in mind when giving assignments and setting weekly goals for practicing. The most important thing I want to leave the student with is a sense of fascination and appreciation for music. Whether an interest in classical or country music, I can transform any material into a learning opportunity that is fun, educational, and progressive for the student's musical and technical development. Read More

Instruments: Piano, Voice, Violin, Viola, Mandolin, Keyboard

I'm an internationally recognized classical and jazz pianist/recording artists. My digital albums are readily available at I Tunes, Cdbaby or Amazon. I'm a published musicologist author. My credits include: The Cocktail Piano Companion, Jewels of Jazz: The Undiscovered Vocal Gems of the 1950s-1960s, Les Baxter, Lady Liberty: The Definitive Julie London Handbook and Artist Development. I'm the creator of the Cocktail Piano Hour series of albums, which are regularly played on international radio podcasts including: Cocktail Nation, Evenings at the Penthouse, The Cool Jazz Connection and Martinis at Midnight. Read More

Instruments: Violin, Viola, Music

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with the Suzuki Violin Method (Viola version available) with occasional ear training with the piano with the Kodaly method. For intermediate and advanced students, I introduce a variety of etudes, scale books, and solo repertoire, e.g. Carl Flesch, Kreutzer, Mazas, Dont, Dounis, and Unaccompanied Bach, etc. For viola students or violinists who are looking into doubling the viola, I introduce many techniques including Karen Tuttle and Primrose Scales to help along with the transition. Read More

Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Voice, Violin, Cello, Viola, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Clarinet, Drums, Synthesizer, Ukulele, Recorder, Tuba, Mallet Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Oboe, Bassoon, English Horn, Music, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar

In 4th grade I got a recorder and from then on I've soaked up all the music experiences around me. I fondly remember my first solo performance was 5th grade, and my first honor band was that summer. By my senior year of high school I had been involved in a couple dozen honor bands/choirs/orchestras including an amazing tour of Europe in a 200 person band! I've taught individual lessons to little kids and elders, of all different skill levels, and strongly believe that it is never too late to learn an instrument. Read More