Bellevue, WA Music Theory Lessons

or jazz -- and I teach rock bands how to learn music by ear and have fun playing with other people! I have also been teaching privately (independent home studio) since 2007.
**I organize and teach vocal workshop classes, where singers can learn how to work with a band.
**I joined the Cornish College of the Arts adjunct jazz faculty in Spring 2015!

I moved back to Seattle in April 2014 after being in NYC for four years -- completing my Master of Music degree (NYU), living, teaching, and performing in Brooklyn and Manhattan. NYC was amazing, and I'd love to share with you all of the cool things I picked up during my time there. From 2005-2010, I lived in Seattle and taught music lessons. I graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in Jazz Performance (voice) and performed a lot around Seattle-- from jazz clubs to concert halls-- performing pop, rock, soul, jazz and even working in a Steely Dan Tribute Band!! (your parents might appreciate that more than you do)

More than anything, I'm fascinated by the different ways that students learn and always love figuring out what kind of learning works best for YOU.

*** Lesson Details ***
I love watching my students progress and enjoy their music, no matter what style they enjoy or what level they are. I work with students to pick out music that they'll enjoy working on-- it's always more fun to learn songs you love!
I'm a pretty laid back teacher, but I work to inspire my students to try their hardest and do the best that they can do. I will provide you will the exercises, materials, and right level of songs to help you meet your goals, and together we can create a plan for our lessons.

In our lessons we will cover a variety of topics, including:

--Strong, Healthy TECHNIQUE so that you can gain a command of your instrument and play or sing whatever you choose. Through various EXERCISES you will develop strength, control, musicianship, and good habits.
(Vocalists:)
It is important to develop a healthy technique so that you can sing whatever you want without getting fatigued or injuring your voice. We'll work on developing strong technique and finding your own unique SOUND-- we'll choose music that is right for your vocal style and music that YOU connect with so you can really express yourself.
(Pianists):
No matter whether you want to play classical, pop, or jazz, you'll want your fingers to be strong and agile enough to get the sound that you want out of the instrument. With good technique you can play anything!

--Rhythm, subdivision, and groove

--Ear-training & Music Theory (chord qualities, pitch matching, easy transcription)

--Building your REPERTOIRE so that you have songs to play, and discussing techniques specific to each style of music you study

--Arranging or Communicating with a band (if that is something which interests you)

--Performance considerations.... developing confidence and personal expression!

My goal is to inspire students to play their instruments (or sing!), develop good habits and encourage healthy curiosity..... but most of all to Love Playing Music! 

*** Studio Equipment ***
full music room with 88 f/w keyboard with music stand, amp, microphone (if applicable), acoustic guitar, seating for parents.

I will provide lesson plans and corresponding handouts, exercises, examples, etc. If the student is taking piano lessons they should have access to a keyboard or piano at home. I also have a vocal microphone & amp to work on microphone technique.

*** Specialties ***
I specialize in jazz/pop piano and voice, and have a strong background in classical and jazz theory and technique. I typically design curricula which include technical exercises from my classical background and then focus stylistically on the genre that the student is interested in. I have extensive experience both performing and teaching in many jazz, pop, rock and soul styles-- I try to help the student find their unique voice while establishing a strong foundation of healthy technique.

g The Total Experience Gospel Choir, Seattle Pacific University Women's Choir, and The Spokane Area Children's Chorus. Musical productions including Grease, Once Upon a Mattress, Chicago, and Les Miserables. I have been a featured soloist in ensembles throughout my life. I also performed in the Jazz Ensemble at Seattle Central Community College for three years as a vocalist and pianist.

I have an extensive background as a performer in small and large bands in the Seattle area. I have played in various venues throughout the area including Key Arena, Benaroya Hall, McCall Hall, Folk Life Festival, Marymoor Park, Highway 99 Blues Club, Tula's Nightclub, and the Nectar Lounge to name a few. I have also worked as a studio musician with various funk, soul, and electronic music producers and bands.

I study African dance and other forms of dance including hip-hop, house, and have traveled to Guinea, Conakry to study dance and music with Les Ballets African a premier African dance ensemble that tours the world. I also spent the summer of 2012 working with a non-profit organization in Chiapas, Mexico teaching music and dance to kids k-12 in the Indigenous Village of Ignacio Allende. More recently I have been studying and performing with Pat Wright and The Total Experience Gospel Choir since 2014.

*** Lesson Details ***
As your teacher I can help you thrive in music. I promise to provide a fun learning experience with lots of laughs and smiles. My number one goal is to help build a love and passion for music and boost student's confidence. I understand and appreciate different levels of experience and make sure to cater the lesson to the individual. Whether my students are young or old; whether they view voice or piano lessons as a just-for-fun hobby; or whether they wish to pursue a serious music career - I am happy to facilitate all of this and more, as we work together to reach their goals.

My musical foundation is one built on proper technique and strong musicianship skills. Students will learn proper posturing, breathing, and vocal production- in addition to reading and music notation, music theory and more. As students master these techniques I will work to help them bring out their own voice and creative expression. We will explore music from a variety of genres including Jazz, Classical, Pop/Rock, and more. Each of my students will be able to perform in ways that are not only healthy and technically sound but unique to them.

*** Studio Equipment ***
In the studio I have an acoustic upright piano, shakers, tambourines, and a library of music books. The studio is also used for dance lessons and has hardwood floors and mirrors. There is also a waiting room area for parents to sit and listen in during lessons.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I provide books, metronome, and keyboard stand. Students are expected to have a piano or keyboard.

*** Specialties ***
I specialize in Jazz, Classical, Pop, Rock, RnB, and Broadway style singing. I use an eclectic approach to teaching.

king Suzuki piano lessons when I was 5 and quickly fell in love with the piano. Since the Suzuki method incorporates such thorough ear-training and the ability to play without sheet music, I quickly began to explore my creative side and was improvising on the piano by age 7. Naturally, this led to composition! Music was flowing through me, and I was able to both improvise and compose my inspirations on the piano. I entered and placed in the Reflections state composition contest each year. Throughout my youth, I was also very involved with the band (played trumpet), dance, drama and attended many symphonies, ballets, plays and operas - giving me a well-rounded artistic upbringing.

I pursued my passion and earned a Bachelor's degree in music composition from Mills College, followed by a Master's degree in music composition from the renowned California Institute of the Arts. My thorough education has taught me to compose for any instrument or ensemble as well as compose for film, dance, and theater. It has also taught me to understand the piano in-depth, along with theory and ear-training. Since graduating in 2006, I have scored several films, received commissions to compose for ensembles and musicians, and taught both composition and piano lessons. I also created an ensemble named SIRËoNa that I composed for, managed, and performed piano, percussion, and indigenous flutes in, and I was interviewed and featured on NPR along with local radio stations and newspapers. I have produced two CD's. Most recently, I composed a score for a silent film, premiering live with the Seattle Jazz Ensemble as part of the moisture festival in Seattle.

Do you want to learn to sit at any piano and simply play what you feel? Or turn that tune running through your head into a song that you or others can perform? Or to master every detail of a piece of music so that you can express it exactly as the composer intended? I can teach you! I encourage all ages and backgrounds to explore their creative musical passions and discover the endless possibilities of piano performance and music composition!

*** Lesson Details ***
When teaching piano, I take a similar approach to the Suzuki method. But instead of teaching from the Suzuki books, I teach my own composed exercises and pieces that I believe are more fun and accessible to today's student of any age! I create MP3 recordings of each exercise and have students listen to and memorize the exercises in their own time.This is a very important aspect of my lessons that thoroughly develops the ear - giving the student the ability to play the exercise from memory and to deeply understand the connection between their actions and the resulting sound.

I develop my exercises to progress each student through an increasing degree of technique difficulty and musical parameters - such as rhythm, melody, chords, harmony, key and range. Beginning exercises will isolate a specific musical parameter to bring thorough understanding of its possibilities, while advanced exercises and pieces will work on coordinating multiple parameters and techniques at the same time. Within 6 months, a beginner piano student will have tackled and perfected simple yet fun exercises that incorporate each major musical parameter, as well as develop correct posture and finger technique, and have developed some ear training and basic music theory skills. I also have my students do creative exercises, which develop more thorough ear training and the ability to eventually improvise and compose on the piano. More advanced piano students will perfect their ability to interpret and express each piece of music that they play and will receive thorough ear training, music theory lessons, and develop their creative abilities through piano improvisation and composition. Once they have tackled the fundamentals, intermediate and advanced piano students will learn the classics as well.

Along with piano lessons, I'm also highly qualified to teach music composition - including beginning to advanced composition, music theory, composing for any instrument or ensemble, Sibelius computer notation program, film scoring, and orchestration.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Private room, desk, professional digital piano - 88 keys fully weighted, piano bench. 2 professional cameras and iMac computer for online lessons. Percussion instruments for young students. Sibelius for composition students... Parents can sit in.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I expect students to have their own piano or keyboard when having a lesson in their home.

*** Specialties ***
Piano, Composition, Suzuki method, Classical, Contemporary, Ear Training, Memory Training, Piano Improvisation, Music Theory, Piano Ergonomics, In-depth Holistic Approach, Music History, Rhythm and Percussion. Success in teaching ages 3 and up, all backgrounds and ages.

utside. Skiing, fly-fishing, and backpacking are some of my favorite things in the world.

*** Lesson Details ***
I teach guitar (beginning through advanced), and beginning violin, viola, and cello, as well as offering Spanish tutoring.

Although classical guitar is my primary strength, I am more than willing to teach any style that a student may want to learn. If you want to learn rock, blues, jazz, etc. I'd be thrilled to teach you that particular genre. To me, style is simply a vehicle to learn over-arching musical ideas and skills.

The most important musical skill that I can help students develop is reading music. If a student can read music, regardless of current technical ability, ambition, or musical preferences, they will be able to learn more music than I will ever be able to teach them. Linguistically, the most important skill I can develop in students is listening (though I do, of course, teach students to read, write, and speak as well). This is the base of so much future learning, as they will hear much more than simply what they are learning in tutoring sessions.

I make it my serious goal to teach myself out of a job, to give students the tools that they need to go out and learn as much as they possibly can (or want to), so that when our lessons eventually come to an end, they have a solid base from which to grow.

My personal style is fairly laid back. I am a very easy-going individual, but I do expect that my students practice. As long as a student is practicing and putting forth effort, I will bend over backwards to help them.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I have my own instruments and books. I expect students to have their own instrument and be willing to buy books as well.

*** Specialties ***
Classical Guitar

s available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, etc.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Uppsala University (Sweden). With Dan, you will receive unparalleled, professional, and masterful classes. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from an award-winning expert in his field. Allow me to take you to the next level, whether you are a beginner or an experienced virtuoso.

I look forward to guiding you on your educational journey! Lessons are offered either in my home studio in Kent, WA, *or* I can teach you through live, online private video lessons.

training and basic theory. Resume available upon request

software (write out your parts, charts, lead sheets etc. so that others can play your original compositions)
- Classical percussion techniques

Students can expect to have a lot of fun learning with me! We can write soundtracks, band pieces, solo pieces - whatever the student finds most interesting. :)

BIO:
I’m a composer who currently lives in Bellvue, Washington. I started my music career when I was 9 years old playing the Zimbabwean marimba and mbira (a traditional Shona thumb piano). Not only are the instruments beautiful, but they express our connection to the world around us. I completely fell in love with the polyrhythms and melodies of Zimbabwean music!

I continued to pursue my passion for music by studying percussion and composition at The Boston Conservatory of Music… then completed my M.M. in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games at The Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain.

Now I write music for video games and help our stories unfold.

***Checkout my music at:
soundcloud.com/taylorambrosiowood