Trombone Lessons in Rolling Hills Estates, CA

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone French Horn

I always vary my teaching methods to accomodate each of my student's needs.  However, my lesson format stays fundamentally the same.  I always begin with some mouthpiece buzzing, which incorporates ear-training, then move to rhythm exercises, scales and technical studies, method book, and any other music the student is working on at the time. Most beginning students will start out with Book 1 of a standard method book; I recommend the Standard of Excellence series. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Ukulele Euphonium Tuba

Each student is unique and requires a customized approach to realize their goals. I don't believe in a "one size fits all" approach to students where they all play the same exercises, etudes, etc. I help students find what works for them, often times we create our own methods or modify existing ones to suit the needs of the pupil. I believe a solid foundation in the fundamentals of music can be very helpful, familiarity with music theory/terminology/notation. Read More

Instruments: Trombone

I always start with a warm up, followed by scale studies. From there we move to etudes, and solos or concerti, and end with excerpts from books like the Mueller technical study or Arban book. For more advanced students and jazz players, I like to start with a warm up, scale study, learn tunes and the blues, big band charts, and end with listening and transcriptions. Overall, the most important thing a student can develop is a full tone and personal sound. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums French Horn Oboe

I truly believe that all learning, while serious in nature, should be fun and exciting in methodology. Living in the age of technology, there are so many ways to make learning fun and interesting for students. Whether it be sharing information from Youtube, educational sites such as The Teaching Channel, using digital music apps such as "Smart Music" for assessment, showing a student how to record themselves on their smartphones, all of these things can be brought in to the instructional experience. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet French Horn Piccolo Oboe

For stringed instruments, I uses the Suzuki method for teaching the basic repertory of the instruments. This method is an ear training method in which the student plays by ear. It starts out very simple so students of all ages can learn and progress very quickly. For learning to read music I use one of the method books like "A Tune a day" or Strictly Strings which teach the fundamentals of read music and music theory. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trombone Drums Synthesizer Ukulele Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

My music is an explorative collage of rhythm and harmony that incites emotion, creating a wild and memorable experience for listeners. I source inspiration from an array of influences, ranging from Miles Davis, to The Beatles. My musical pieces are born during a 3–4 hour session at the piano, and refined through excessive scribbling, and endless rehearsing.   In the past year, I have expanded my professional development to work as an educator, and a scholar of music. Read More

Instruments: Trombone

For beginning trombone students, I start by introducing the student to the basics: the mouthpiece by itself. Getting comfortable with producing clear, sustatined tones through the mouthpiece is the key to producing smooth, gorgeous melodies on the whole trombone. I start the first 10-15 minutes of every lesson just on the mouthpiece, and then have the student play unmeasured sustained notes (called "long tones"), exploring the range of the instrument. Read More