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We have some of the most respected local music educators
available to teach woodwinds, brass, strings, and
guitar to beginning and intermediate student musicians.
Check out our lesson page here
for a full list of all the instrument lessons available.
Interested in group lessons in guitar, songwriting,
or Music Together®? Check out the group lesson
page here.
If you are interested in taking private lessons or
have any questions, please contact us at info@lamorindamusic.com
or (925) 385-0963 or stop on by the store. Need directions?
click here.
Our private music instructors include:
| Instructor |
Curriculum |
Description |
Drew Brown
|
Guitar |
Drew Brown is an active performer and composer
in the Bay Area and also a dedicated teacher.
He teaches beginners to advanced students with
a fresh approach to learning the guitar. He is
well-versed in teaching all types of music as
well as sight-reading, music theory, and jazz
improvisation. He will bring his students’
understanding of music and guitar playing to the
next level. A recent graduate of the New School
University for Jazz and Contemporary Music Studies
in New York City, Drew has studied with world-renowned
educators and artists and has performed at various
venues in New York including Pianos and Dizzy’s
Club Coca-Cola at the Lincoln Center. His mission
is to help students with their specific interests,
while expanding their guitar skills and spreading
the joy of music. |
Jon Brummel
|
Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium |
Dr. Jon Brummel is the founder and head administrator
for Summer Music, freelance performer, educator,
and technologist. He has previously served on
the faculties at California State University,
Stanislaus and Los Medanos College as Professor
of Low Brass and lecturer.
In addition to an active performance schedule,
he is highly involved in education in the east
bay with a large private studio, as well as
consulting and assisting the elementary, middle
school, and high school music programs in Lafayette
through the Lafayette Arts & Sciences foundation.
Jon is also a clinician for MakeMusic, giving
seminars and clinics on Smart Music and Finale.
Check out more information about Jon here:
http://www.bonehead.us |
Bobby Burch
|
Piano & Voice |
Bobby has been teaching voice and piano in the
Lamorinda area for 14 years. She studied both
at the Cape Cod Conservatory, the Boston Conservatory,
the San Domenico Conservatory and the University
of the Pacific.
Bobby has been a professional singer since
age fourteen. She recorded for Warner Bros Records
and Liberty/ UA Records and was nominated for
a Grammy in the pop/jazz category. Bobby has
performed all over the U. S. at major venues
in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Nashville
and Las Vegas. She has appeared on many local
and national TV shows including The Johnny Cash
Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Jonathan Winter’s
Show, and the Dinah Shore Show. Bobby has performed
in pop, jazz and cabaret venues all over the
Bay Area and has won the San Francisco Cabaret
Gold Award.
Bobby has also had a successful career performing
on hundreds of radio and TV commercials including:
The Gap, Honda Toyota, Bank of America, Visa,
C&H Sugar, A&W Rootbeer, Rice-A-Roni,
Safeway and Levi’s
“In teaching both piano and voice I make
sure the students receive all the basic fundamentals
of music. Then I help them take these basic
principals and apply them to various styles
of music. We then begin to explore the emotional
expression that brings music to life. I strive
to make the student’s experience with
me not only educational, but also enjoyable.
I encourage them to take the love and pleasure
of making music with them for life.” |
Jen Carne
|
Violin & Viola |
Jen is a Pleasant Hill native who has a
degree from the University of Michigan in Classical
Viola Performance. In 2007 she returned to the
Bay Area to teach in the Lafayette Community.
She works as a LASF instructor assisting in
4th and 5th grade strings at Burton Valley,
Lafayette Elementary, Springhill, and Happy
Valley Elementary. She has also been coaching
the Acalanes Violists.
For those fortunate enough to be in the music
program at Stanley Middle School you know Jen
very well. She is currently getting her music
education teaching credential and did her student
teaching under Bob Athayde this past year.
Among other endeavors, she plays the violin
in a local folk band and she loves to play the
fiddle in Bluegrass Jams. She teaches the violin
and the viola from beginning to advanced levels,
all ages. |
Jonathan Knight
|
Trumpet |
Those students who have attended Cazadero
Performing Arts Camp will immediately recognize
Dr. Jonathan Knight (though they would know
him as "JK")
An accomplished trumpeter, conductor, and educator,
Dr. Jonathan Knight studied music at U.C. Berkeley,
New England Conservatory, and Stony Brook University.
He is Assistant Camp Director at Cazadero Music
Camp, and directs the concert band and teaches
chamber music, music theory and history at Los
Medanos College. As a freelance trumpeter, Jonathan
has performed frequently with Diablo Theater
Company (formerly Diablo Light Opera), Contra
Costa Musical Theater, Lamplighters, San Francisco
Choral Society, several regional orchestras
such as the Napa, Marin, and Berkeley Symphonies,
and the Brassworks.
Jonathan has been teaching privately in Lafayette
since 1996. He is passionate about helping young
trumpeters achieve their full potential as musicians,
and accepts students at beginning, intermediate,
or advanced levels. Many of his students have
distinguished themselves by winning principal
chairs in their school ensembles, being accepted
into an All State band, and participating in
youth or honor ensembles such as the Young People’s
Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Youth Orchestra,
SF Jazz All Stars, and the Berkeley Jazz School
Studio Band.
While practice assignments and teaching approaches
vary with the needs and interests of the individual
student, Jonathan believes that establishing
a strong core sound and developing fluid technique,
along with proficiency in aural skills and fluent
music reading, are the essential building blocks
with which to develop musicianship and artistry.
With these skills in place, students can and
will excel in concert bands, jazz ensembles,
symphony orchestras, or any other musical environment. |
Shaun Lowecki
|
Drums |
Shaun Lowecki grew up in the Chicago area
and began playing the drums at age 9. He quickly
developed a strong passion for music and became
increasingly interested in jazz. In High School,
Shaun played in various award winning school
ensembles, and spent the summers studying music
at prestigious camps around the country. After
High School, Shaun continued his music studies
at New School University for Jazz and Contemporary
Music in New York City, where he studied with
Amir Ziv and Ari Hoenig. After a year in New
York, Shaun transferred to Arizona State University,
where he was active in the local music scene.
He was co-leader and composer for the Moseyhorse,
and played in other creative groups including
Jiggle and Inner Journey's Trio.
In the spring of 2009 Shaun Lowecki graduated
with honors from ASU, earning a bachelors degree
in Jazz Studies Performance. Shaun has performed
around the world with highlight tours in France
and in the Pacific Northwest.
His fresh and innovative approach to performing
and educating is the reason for his continual
success. As a new resident of the East Bay community,
Shaun is quickly growing a name for himself
as a must see up and coming musician and educator.
|
Clifton Massey
|
Voice |
Clifton Massey is in frequent demand for
both solo and choral repertoire. He has performed
to critical acclaim with ensembles in the Bay
Area and beyond, including American Bach Soloists,
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Chanticleer,
Schola Cantorum SF, Dallas Bach Society, Orpheus
Chamber Singers, Theater of Voices, Concert
Royal NYC, and the New York Philharmonic with
Skitch Henderson.
Clifton has a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education
from Texas Christian University and a Master's
of Music in Early Music from Indiana University.
He currently directs three choirs for the
Piedmont Choirs and is the Master Voice teacher
at Acalenes High School. He is an advocate of
healthy vocal production, teaches
private voice, and is a choral clinician throughout
the Bay Area.
|
Todd Minson
|
Trumpet, French Horn, and Voice |
Todd has been a professional musician for
many years, performing with groups such as the
Oakland Symphony, Opera San Jose, Berkelely
Symphony Orchestra, Berkeley Opera, Diablo Light
Opera Company, among others. He has been teaching
for 13 years in the Pleasanton and Lamorinda
area.
Though classical is his forte, Todd teaches
all styles and skill levels. He focuses on fundamentals,
technique, and musicality. |
Alex Murzyn
|
Flute, Piccolo, Saxophone, and Clarinet |
Alex, a native of Hawaii, has been playing saxophone
in the Bay Area for the past 13 years. His music
combines traditional and contemporary jazz, soul,
rock, funk, and Latin. He has worked with with
many accomplished artists. He has toured with
Huey Lewis and the News among others. He has performed
and recorded with Pete Escovedo, Rebecca Mauleon,
and Betty Rietveld. He has performed with the
Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Arturo Sandoval, and
The Tempations. He has also played with jazz legends
Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Clark and worked in
the pit orchestra for Color Purple, Grease, and
Chicago. |
Laura Ponti
|
Piano |
Laura Ponti is a classically trained pianist
and teacher who studied piano performance at Holy
Names College in Oakland and the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music. After completing a degree
in Philosophy and Comparative Religion at San
Francisco State University (which included studies
on the function and importance of music in ritual
and ceremony,) Laura returned to music as an instructor.
For almost twenty years she has taught a wide
range of students with the single goal of discovering
the best way to teach each one individually. “While
everyone needs to understand the same basic principles
of playing the piano, we all learn differently.
My job as a teacher is to recognize how and when
to introduce material so that the result is very
happy student who also happens to be a good musician
with a solid foundation!” Laura has worked
as an accompanist with several local dance groups
and spent many years studying music of the Near
and Middle East. Currently she teaches throughout
the East Bay and resides in Walnut Creek where
she has a busy studio.
|
Mike Rose
|
Trumpet |
Mike is a very well-known and well-respected
trumpet instructor in the Bay Area. He has been
teaching privately for over 25 years. He is
a graduate of CSU Hayward and has studied with
Marv Nelson, Jay Rizzitto, John Coppola, Frank
Sumares, Jack King, and Dave Eshelman.
Mike has performed and recorded with numerous
well-known artists and bands with styles ranging
from Blues to Salsa, R&B, and Jazz.
He was awarded the Bay Area Blues Society Trumpet
Player of the year in 2006. He specializes in
trumpet technique and tone production, Jazz
improvisation, and Music Theory and musicianship. |
Doug Stuart
|
Bass |
Doug Stuart has a Bachelors of Music in Jazz
and Contemplative Studies from the University
of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is an active bassist,
composer, songwriter, and bandleader. He has
performed in orchestras, small and large jazz
ensembles, folk groups, and pop bands throughout
the US and internationally.
As a dedicated teacher, his mission is
to help his students with whatever their musical
interests and needs are, while improving their
technique and knowledge of the bass tradition,
expanding their musical horizons, and inspiring
a
motivation to learn and excel. |
Elizabeth Talbot
|
Cello & Violin |
A classically trained musician, Elizabeth has
been studying music since age 4. Her teachers
have included many renowned musicians such as
Paul Katz, of the Cleveland String Quartet, Marcy
Rosen, of the Mendelssohn String Quartet, and
Dr. Robert Jesselson, former president of the
America String Teachers Association. Elizabeth
attended the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston, and completed a joint degree in Music
& Economics at the University of California,
Berkeley.
Over the years, Elizabeth has participated
in many music festivals around the country and
had the experience of participating in master
classes and taking lessons from famed teachers
& performers such as Janos Starker and Bernard
Greenhouse. In learning from the great musicians
and teachers of our time, Elizabeth discovered
her true passion for music lay in teaching.
With an in-depth understanding of how the body
and instrument work together to produce a beautiful
sound, Elizabeth has witnessed her students
make significant progress with the violin and
cello, allowing them to make music a truly important
and beautiful part of their lives.
To learn more about Elizabeth, please visit
her website: elizabethktalbot.googlepages.com |
Laura Zucker
|
Guitar, Songwriting |
Laura is a performing singer/songwriter
with an international following. A graduate
of Rutgers University and Rutgers Law, Laura
settled in Lafayette in 2004.
She released two independent CDs of original
material in 2006 and 2008. She has garnered
West Coast Songwriters Association "Best
Song" honors in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
She has been a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville
Folk Festival songwriting contest in 2007 and
2009, the International Songwriting Contest
and the JPF songwriting contest in 2009. Laura
teaches contemporary acoustic guitar, vocals,
and songwriting.
Laura loves playing, singing and writing, and
wants her students to love it too!
Check out more information about Laura here:
http://www.laurazucker.com. |
And stay tuned - we continue to add the best private
instructors to work with your student!
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