I base my teaching philosophy on my own childhood experience. As a 7-year-old kid, I used to hit my head against the wall out of frustration, so my mom decided to put me in both physical therapy and Cajon lessons. Cajon is a Peruvian box-shaped percussion instrument. From Cajon, I went to the piano, and from piano to guitar, and then bass, and then voice lessons, and then ended up playing all of these instruments, which was beneficial for my mental and emotional well-being. I believe that music’s calming effect allows people to get completely immersed in a song or performance. During my lessons, I strive to create an environment in which students not only work on the technical part of playing, but also on the emotional aspect – students should develop a connection with what they are playing, so that they can really express themselves as they interpret a song.
I don’t believe that there is a right way to teach. Some teachers are more technical and exercise-driven, and others prefer to convey techniques “indirectly,” through singing or playing. Both ways can get amazing results. I personally believe in the power of doing first and understanding later. By learning many different songs and training the ears, students get the chance to compare all these songs and then can figure out what chords are repeated, what is the sequence of the chords, and what is the form of the song. This way they can understand how songs are written and then be able to create their own compositions.
I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music in 2018 and majored in Contemporary Writing & Production and Performance. But I started teaching kids when I was 15 during high school as a means to make money on the side. I haven’t stopped since and have enjoyed this experience very much.
Graduating from college with the highest honors, as well as receiving an honorary scholarship in the name of one of the most important guitar department leaders, William Levitt. I believe this experience prepared me well to both teach music and play it professionally.
The best compliment I got wasn’t a direct praise. It was after a student of mine performed publicly. She got compliments from people in the audience, telling her what a great job she did. This meant a lot to me to know that my teaching had helped this person develop and nurture her talent.
I love traveling. As a 10-year-old, I went to Japan and can still remember how amazing it was. The food, people, landscapes and the culture where overwhelmingly different and infinitely fascinating to me. I want to go back there and see this country through an adult’s eyes. I bet it will be as amazing now as it was back then!
English, Spanish, Portuguese, and a little bit of Hebrew.
I would love to perform with Jimi Hendrix so that I can absorb some of his playing and energy. I think it would be infinite amounts of fun.
I love to watch movies and analyze their musical scores. If I watch a movie and don’t hear the score or forget about it, it means that the composer has done a great job.
I have been going back to my roots and listening to Jimi Hendrix’s album “Are you experienced?”
