Zachary Simon

I'm a pianist, composer, and music theory instructor based in Los Angeles, with six years of teaching experience and 22 years of playing piano. I hold a degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music and have worked professionally as a pianist for musical productions including Fiddler on the Roof, Anastasia, and Catch Me If You Can.

I teach piano, theory, and composition across classical, jazz, and pop, for students of all ages and levels. I started with traditional lessons but taught myself by ear starting around age 11, so I'm comfortable teaching both a traditional, book-based way and a more intuitive, ear-first approach that connects theory to sound rather than memorization.

Every student learns differently, so I tailor lessons to what motivates them — whether that's classical technique, writing their own music, or just playing the songs they love. I especially enjoy working with students curious about why music works the way it does, and I aim to make lessons feel like a highlight of the week, not an obligation.

I bring both formal training and real-world performing experience to my teaching: a Film Scoring degree from Berklee (where I also worked as a Core Music Tutor), six years of teaching, and professional pianist credits on productions like Fiddler on the Roof, Anastasia, and Catch Me If You Can, plus composing the score for the award-winning short film Only the Dead.

My style is patient and student-led. I lean on ear training and an intuitive approach to theory rather than rote drilling, and I keep lessons varied — mixing technique, theory, and repertoire — so nothing gets stale. I've taught one student for almost four years now, and the biggest lesson from that relationship is that engagement comes from noticing what a student loves and building the lesson around it, not from sticking rigidly to a fixed curriculum.