About
I love finding "A-ha!" moments. I love teaching the concepts and knowledge behind the music we all love. Teaching "an instrument" is important and necessary (and I have definitely done a lot of that too) but understanding music on a larger scale helps us to analyze great music and then to create our own great music.
I love when students get excited about suddenly understanding a concept, or nailing a new technique, or sharing their own compositions that they have created with their newly gained knowledge.
Photos and videos
Reviews
Dominick C.
Sermin G.
Ben
Jason A.
Dominick C.
Woolley
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I like a few icebreaker questions in the beginning, usually music related.
What bands/artists do you like?
What kind of music do you want to play?
I also see if the student can show me something that they do already, just to start assessing where they're at in their musical journey and how we can get them on their way to the next achievement!
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have played guitar for 20+ years as well as other instruments for various timeframes. I started studying music theory with my teacher since my second year in guitar lessons. From there, I took Theory and Composition courses in both high school and college. I also spent years in gigging bands playing originals and covers, recording records in studios, and now produce music from my home studio through Logic Pro. I create beats and rap, study jazz, love Neosoul and RnB, learn exotic instruments,scales, and rhythms, love technical music such as Prog and Mathrock, and even have my favorite classical composers (guitar and orchestral). My interest spans a wide range and I'd love to impart that to my students. All music has something that can be gained from it.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Typically $40/hr. (with possible upcharge if I have to travel to the student).
This also includes an email after the lesson with recap information and maybe a few questions or practice challenges to keep the student engaged.
How did you get started teaching?
I actually began in Taiwan as I was already an ESL teacher, but started to give lessons as way to for students to practice English while also learning music. When I got back to the US I continued to advertise privately, and then worked teaching and bandleading at a School of Rock in San Diego.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have taught as young as 6 all the way up to older adults. I do enjoy lessons most with students who are focused and ready to learn and improve. That being said, I still understand that usually a year or so of simply practicing other people's songs and gaining dexterity is typically necessary before students may be ready for songwriting concepts, but I love nothing more than to get into the knowledge aspects of music.