“THE PIANO KEYS ARE BLACK AND WHITE
, BUT THEY SOUND LIKE 
A MILLION COLORS IN YOUR MIND.”
– MARIA CRISTINA MENA I love helping people to follow their curiosity, learn, and achieve their goals. Whether your goals are to just to learn a new skill, explore the basics of music theory, develop techniques to one day perform in a band or orchestra, perform your favorite classical or popular pieces, create your own compositions, or simply enjoy the making of music, I can give you the feedback you need and confidence you deserve while teaching you step by step how to read the intricate and beautiful language of sheet music. I have experience with teaching all ages from 4 to 70 with a wide variety of goals. One of the most obvious benefits of playing the piano is that it helps to improve coordination and fine motor skills. A pianist must use both hands to play, often in different sequences, which can help to develop better hand-eye coordination. In addition, playing the piano can also help to improve memory and concentration. This is because players need to remember not only which keys to press, but also the order in which they need to be pressed. As a result, regular piano practice can help to refine mental focus, enhance memory power, develop patience and discipline. Further, playing the piano can be a great way to unwind and relieve stress. The act of playing music can be very soothing, and listening to relaxing piano tunes can help to lower blood pressure and heart rate. I can help you select repertoire that is suited to your level. With over 10 years of experience taking piano lessons, I began playing the piano at age seven and through ten years of daily practice advanced to honors recitals Level 9 of Certificate of Merit through the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC). I have been teaching private piano lessons at home and online (recommended for students 7 and up via FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom) since 2016. I also have a California Teaching Credential in the Arts. I cater your learning experience based on your preferences at your level. I combine theory, technique, practice, counting, vocabulary, and performance pieces. I use a variety of materials like flashcards and book series to teach classical, folk, jazz, pop, and sacred styles: Alfred’s Basic Piano Library, Bastien Basics, Bastien & Bastien, Faber’s Piano Adventures, FunTime Faber & Faber, Piano for the Older Beginner, and Alfred Masterworks. My students love the patience, kindness, respect, and honesty that I bring to each lesson. Demonstrating each piece, we often have fun singing along, playing duets and adding games or flashcards to aid in understanding. Although playing and making music should be a fun experience, it also requires patience, discipline and self-awareness. Students need a piano or keyboard at home and are expected to practice a minimum of an hour a week at home. “LIFE IS LIKE A PIANO.
WHAT YOU GET OUT OF IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU PLAY IT.”
 – TOM LEHRER Every student has the opportunity to participate in our two Zoom recitals each year in which they can share their performance pieces with the rest of my 20-30 students. “THERE ARE EIGHTY-EIGHT KEYS ON A PIANO AND WITHIN THAT, AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE.” 
 ― JAMES RHODES