23 years of teaching experience. Mike’s background allows him the ability to anticipate, address, and overcome any potential problems before they hinder the student. As a result, lessons and practice regimens are productive and inspiring. The student spends more time creating music and less time overcoming poor habits caused by a lack of proper initial guidance. 

 

Master of Arts in Music and Bachelor in Piano Performance from California State University, Fullerton. These curriculums featured robust programs in piano pedagogy—education in the proper instruction of piano. As a pupil of Dr. Martha Baker-Jordan—the world's leading piano pedagogue—Mike learned methodologies to teaching every type of student imaginable.

Flexible in his teaching. No two students are alike and no two families share the same needs. Some families reach out to Mike looking for a teacher able to inspire a student into becoming an accomplished, competition-winning pianist. Others wish to have a more relaxed teacher who's able to incorporate music into their child's extracurricular activities. No matter what kind of instructor you're looking for, Mike's teaching is adaptable and achieves results. 

Flexible as a teacher. Be it a student who is highly involved in after-school activities or an adult who frequently travels for business, Mike is able to accommodate everyone's schedules. With weekly calendar updates, students are able to see Mike's availabilities and request them at any time. 

Unparalleled experience with adults. Since beginning his career, a large portion of Mike’s studio has been dedicated to adult students because of his ability to work and schedule around their lives while still developing an effective curriculum that fits their busy lifestyles.

You will not be pressured into online lessons. Competitor teachers will often encourage students to switch to online lessons out of convenience (mostly for themselves). Mike believes in the dynamic of in-studio, in-person lessons where every facet of a student’s technique and playing can be addressed without technological headaches. While Mike does accommodate students who insist on doing lessons online, he believes that there’s no substitute for in-person lessons.

Technology including a curriculum of engaging educational software as well as an enormous library of digitized, high-quality sheet music (far superior than most public domain music available online) which can be sent to students to print or use tablet-to-tablet.

 

Recording of performance progress with each lesson. Mike has developed a way of accurately keeping track of all students’ note-reading abilities with each lesson. Younger students with the best note-reading ability are awarded with recognition among other students.

 

Up to date on the latest music trends. Many piano teachers are not able to incorporate pop, rock, and top 40 music into their curriculum simply because they are not current with new music trends. Mike regularly incorporates the latest songs into a traditional curriculum to keep students motivated and inspired.

 

Personal library of masterworks. With his personal collection of sheet music available for loan, Mike’s students have free access to all major piano works in the conventional repertoire.

Respect for you and your time. A teacher who is consistently late or frequently cancels is the greatest hindrance a student can face. Many of Mike's students and/or parents of students come to him frustrated at the lack of professionalism from their previous teachers. If this experience sounds familiar, you'll appreciate Mike for his dedication to his work.