Voice Lessons in Maple Valley, WA

Instruments: Voice

Practice is essential to growth, but if a student does not enjoy their repertoire, they simply won't practice. Therefore, I work to find common ground with students when selecting songs. I will not force Classical or Jazz, but feel the technique these styles teach are invaluable. Each student will learn music fundamentals and basic reading skills. I feel knowledge of the piano is helpful for all musicians so in early lessons I will teach piano skills to aid in practice. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Keyboard

I also taught at music theory and composition and accompanied the string studio recital at Gonzaga University from 2017-2018. I believe strongly that studying an instrument brings lifelong rewards. I am an active, professional composer of opera, choral music, wind and orchestral music, chamber music, art song, film music, and dance music. During my undergraduate years, I was a pianist for the Milwaukee Ballet as well as several other ballet schools and departments in Milwaukee, Texas, and Germany. Read More

Instruments: Voice

Guitar: For children, I begin with simple folk songs to teach them chords and strums. From there, we progress to picking patterns. For teens and adults, I use both folk songs and easy pop music. For both age groups, I encourage note reading and some classical work. For classical guitar, I use technique books by Aaron Shearer. Voice: I put a great deal of focus on breathing, open throat and support. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

No single approach works with every student when teaching drums. There are simply too many styles and methods to choose from. But when working with beginners, I tend to focus mostly on developing a good internal sense of rhythm and good listening skills. Then if the student wishes, we may specialize in classical, jazz, rock, latin, or whatever style the student is interested in. There are many excelent published methods to choose from and I occasionally assign etudes and excersizes of my own. Read More

Instruments: Voice Violin

For all beginner students, I begin with the Essential Elements books. Once fingering and bowing have been introduced, I begin incorporating level-appropriate scales. These etudes and scales are vital for learning the technique necessary for more advanced pieces. Once the student has completed the first Essential Elements book, we then select a piece for them to play, and keep this as our main focus while continuing to work on scales and etudes. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Trumpet Harmonica Ukulele Recorder Acoustic Guitar

I taught high school band and choir as well as K-5 music education for 35 years. In the public school I have directed musical dramas and up to 4 concerts a year with students of all ages. In the classroom, I taught group piano, recorder, voice, group guitar, many different types of dances and ear training. I did my best to make the lessons fun and my students always looked forward to their weekly music class. Read More