Approach

My approach to teaching is shaped by my experiences as a performer, improviser, composer, and producer. My background in jazz and improvised music allows me to help students develop confidence, creativity, and musical expression alongside technical proficiency. My experience in composition and production enables me to teach students not only how to write music, but also how to arrange, record, and bring their creative ideas to completion.

Of everything I’ve learned as a musician, listening has taught me the most. Active listening and music appreciation form the foundation of my approach because they are essential to developing strong aural skills. In lessons, students engage in critical listening by analyzing recordings and identifying form, style, texture, dynamics, and instrumentation. Students and I perform together, trade accompaniment and solos, and transpose melodies to better understand harmony and musical structure. It’s this practice, alongside scales, etudes, voicings, and repertoire that helps students connect technical concepts to real musical experiences.

Piano

Playing piano for 30 years has given me a breadth of experience, performing music by Debussy, Bartok, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Alice Coltrane, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Roberta Flack, Burt Bacharach, Erykah Badu, Coldplay, Frank Ocean, Adele and everything in between. While playing in jazz combos taught me how to be an active lead voice, touring in bands taught me how to be a supportive voice. On piano we can learn to “sing”, interact, accompany oneself or others, read music, improvise, communicate musical ideas, play texturally, and any other curiosity you may have.

Drums

My earliest experiences playing drums are playing along with my dad. He would show me a beat, I would learn it as best I could, and we would play together. This immersion into playing music immediately was one of the best musical experiences I’ve had. I eventually started playing drums in rock and punk bands, then studied with a couple teachers for a short time. The hands-on learning approach I had worked well and it’s something I like to use with my students, while learning fundamentals along the way. We can learn time, feel, independence, dynamics, fills, grooves, how to arrange a drum part, how to support other musicians and how to solo within a band or play alone.

Composition & Songwriting

I began writing and recording music in high school, when I realized I could. I recorded my band's first 2 albums of music we wrote together on a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder. I started writing my own music eventually recording on the first computer I got right before college. Without a band in college, I spent a lot of time alone writing and recording. I spent years writing music by myself both on and off the computer and with bands. When I moved to LA, I started writing professionally for projects I wasn’t in. Writing and recording has become a passion of mine and I incorporate a bit of it into all lessons. In songwriting and composition lessons we can deconstruct music, studying the melody, harmony, lyrics and textures used to make any given recording, identify the elements that are impactful, explore what moves you in music, and how to develop a “voice” compositionally. We’ll write using exercises I’ve developed to explore all the different possibilities of songwriting and composition. I can also be a guide for songs you may have already written. Composition and songwriting lessons are not instrument specific.

Lessons are designed to accommodate all styles, interests, and abilities, as well as goals from professionals pursuing a career in music to hobbyists who just have an interest. Whether you want to take continuous lessons or just one to a few lessons, we can develop a path that works for you.

If you’re interested or have questions, feel free to contact me using the form on this page.