About
I am an award-winning composer and have produced seven CDs of my work, ranging from solo piano to symphonic pieces. My “Mystical Romantic” music is inspired by nature and studies of spiritual philosophy. I discovered and developed the Connect & Glow energy healing modality, and hold a Master of Spiritual Studies degree from Emerson Theological Institute. I studied piano at Sonoma State University with Marilyn Thompson and composition at New England Conservatory with Robert Ceely. In addition to teaching students, I have also instructed music teachers how to teach basic composition and improvising, making theory relevant as students use the notes from the scales, triads and arpeggios they are learning to create music which they then play and notate.
Lessons are 45" or 60" - 30" are offered as a one-time introductory lesson; 15" meet-and-greets are free!
I welcome children and adult students of all levels and abilities. My goal is to support the unique spark in each individual while helping to develop his or her knowledge and enhancing their appreciation of music.
Areas of focus are performance (learning and polishing pieces), technique (developing finger control and agility), and music theory (the language of music) through creative work (improvisation and composition, including notation).
Students learn scales, chord progressions and arpeggios and create and play music in all of the major and minor keys. Classical repertoire is emphasized, with some pop and jazzish/boogie-type pieces included. I encourage students to bring music of interest - please ask about playing music of any style! As a composer, when I began teaching I naturally incorporated teaching scales and chords, and then used the scales and chords to create music with my students. This approach, combined with standard note-reading and performance, offers students the full benefits of a traditional music education plus a thorough and extensive immersion in the language of music (theory) through creating music and performing their creations.
Bachelor of Arts in Music, Piano Performance, Sonoma State University
Master of Spiritual Studies, Emerson Theological Institute
ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Publishers)
emPower Music Rights
Beginners start with John Thompson's "Teaching Little Fingers to Play" - I like this book because it moves quickly so neither student or teacher gets bored. It is not a five-finger position book, which helps with the musical variety. I have the teacher duet book which has duet parts for each piece. In the first month, students begin their journey through "Playing & Composing Around the Circle of Fifths," a book of teaching pieces I wrote to enhance students' knowledge of each key that they study. As they complete "Teaching Little Fingers" they move on to "An Introduction to Classics to Moderns" (Denes Agay, ed.) and/or "Pageants for Piano" (Donald Waxman). I favor the "Classics to Moderns" series and "The Joy of..." books.