Private Piano Teachers

We have a large and varied faculty of piano teachers. While most of our requests are from beginners who want to get started learning the piano, we also have teachers for re-entry students, people who want to learn a new style or type of music, performers preparing for a concert, and more.

The Music School office, located inside the front door of Piedmont Piano Company, is open Monday through Friday 12:30-5 and Saturday 12-3.


For the telephone numbers of teachers listed here, call 510-652-1222 or email oaklandharmonyroad@yahoo.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Our teachers who teach one-on-one private lessons are private contractors. We refer students to them, and they rent teaching space from us. They all manage their own rates and schedules. When you call or visit the music school office for a teacher referral, we will give you one or two names and phone numbers. If the first teacher(s) don't work out for scheduling or any other reasons, please ask us again, as we have a number of instructors.

Most lessons are given in our studios at the Piedmont Piano Company, at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road. Some of our teachers also teach at another location certain days.

If you would like to be referred to one of the teachers you see here, or you have questions, please call 510-652-1222 or email oaklandharmonyroad@yahoo.com.

 

PIANO TEACHERS
(alphabetical order)

Julay Brandenburg
Julay is a performing musician with experience in both classical and traditional country music.  Her background includes 24 years of classical piano training, short-term study of viola da gamba, fiddle, and harpsichord, and several years of study and performance as a country singer and guitarist.  She received her BA in music from Sarah Lawrence College.  As a teacher, Julay draws upon all aspects of her musical experience to help her students develop into well-grounded, expressive musicians.  Lessons will include theory, ear training, technique, musicality, and performance coaching for recitals.  Tutorials are available for those who wish to focus specifically on ear training or theory. Julay offers guitar lessons as well. Visit her website at www.julaybrandenburgpianostudio.com.

MaryClare Brzytwa
MaryClare Brzytwa is a flutist/composer/teacher currently living in Oakland Ca. Her work explores the microtonal sound structure of the flute and other wind objects and concentrates on extending technique though, electronics, and vocalization. As a teacher, Mary Clare's focus is to instill the fundamentals of music and playing through extended techniques and improvisation as well as traditional methods of solfege, rhythm training, and notation. Ms. Brzytwa specializes in preschool musical development by utilizing a multi instrumental approach to musical exploration and preparation. Most important to her teaching is fostering a sense of confidence and creative freedom in students of all ages. In addition to her Music Composition BA studies at Mills College, MaryClare also had 4 years of Psychology study at Cleveland State University.

Elisabeth Commanday
Elisabeth Commanday's warm soprano and generous stage presence have graced stages from Parma, Italy to her native Oakland, CA. She recently moved to Berkeley from New York City, where she earned an MA in music from Hunter College. Operatic roles at Hunter ranged from Monteverdi's Poppea to Anna Maurrant in Kurt Weill's Street Scene. She sang the national anthem in Radio City Music Hall at Hunter's 2005 commencement exercises, upon invitation from the college president. In demand for her expressive interpretation of new music, Commanday has premiered works by Eric Moe, Bettina Sheppard, and Alan Smith. Last year she helped to create Sheppard's score for the collaborative musical Trumnovela at New York City's Barrow Street Theatre. She recently debuted with the new music chamber ensemble Volti. Commanday holds a BA in Comparative Literature from Swarthmore College, and maintains a growing voice and piano studio in Berkeley. Visit Elisabeth's website.

Kurt Erickson
Kurt Erickson teaches students of all ages and abilities. Playing the piano since age 6, his education includes a master’s degree in piano performance from The University of Notre Dame. An active composer, Kurt has written works for orchestra, ballet, choral ensembles, plus works for film and television. He is currently serving as the Composer in Residence at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assissi.

Bruce Fischer
Bruce has an M.M. degree with a major in piano and organ from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. He taught piano and solfege at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music (preparatory division) for seven years. As a teacher, he encourages the abilities and inclinations of individual students and emphasizes a well-rounded musical education. Bruce offers instruction for Certificate of Merit.

Lisa Goulder
A published songwriter, keyboardist, and vocalist, Lisa began her musical training in classical piano. She majored in arranging and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston and later taught for many years at The Blue Bear School of American Music. She has performed as a keyboardist and vocalist all over the Bay Area in jazz and rock bands including Dreamland and The Lisa Goulder Trio. Lisa teaches private lessons in piano in classical & popular styles, voice, theory, and songwriting. She also teaches rock workshops and pop harmony vocal classes.

Kaye Griffin
Kaye began piano lessons at age 4 and studied classical piano throughout her school years, competing at the state level while still in high school. After earning her MA degree from University of Wisconsin,
she taught French, working with children of all ages and integrating music into her curriculum at every opportunity. In recent years, she also taught Montessori preschool and kindergarten classes, again integrating music into the curriculum as often as possible. She expended her own music studies to include violin, organ, classical guitar and voice. She
also performed for many years with the Harmony Bay Sweet Adelines Chorus. Since completing the basic and advanced Harmony Road teacher training courses, she has taught Harmony Road music classes in addition to offering private piano lessons for beginning students of all ages. Kaye provides a well-rounded program of study that at the same time encourages artistry and creativity in every student.

Marielle V. Jakobsons
Completed Graduate studies from Mills College.
Ms. Jakobsons has performed music all but the first four years of her life, studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, Ohio), and the Centre Creation Musicale Iannis Xenakis (Paris, France). She has over seven years of experience teaching the violin and piano to students of all ages. Her sound-based approach focuses on cultivating creative interpretation and musical expression. This is complemented by a technical study core designed towards the mastery of tone, facility, and general musicianship. Repertory is flexible, and may range from classical-based to more improvisatory musics as per our common goals and you or your child's interests.

Dora Jibitskaya
Dora began playing the piano at age five. She attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music, the Conservatory Music College and the Main Conservatory in Russia. She graduated in 1972 with a diploma in four categories: Soloist, Ensemble Play-ing, Teaching, and Accompanying. Dora has given professional recitals as a soloist and has taught master classes in Europe and America. She teaches students of all ages in classical music.

Mary Jean Kelsey
A graduate of Butler University, Mary Jean received degrees in piano performance and music education. She earned her Masters of Music from Northwestern University with a double emphasis on piano performance and group teaching. An active recitalist, she was a member of Northwestern’s Contemporary Touring Ensemble. She has taught on the piano faculties of University of Michigan and UC Santa Cruz. She chaired the piano pedegogy department at East Carolina University. Mary Jean teaches beginning and intermediate classes as well as advanced private lessons and concert preparation. Having studied the Dorothy Taubman pianistic approach for the past 13 years, she specializes in avoidance and corrective instruction of repetitive motion injury.

Jack Krouscup
Jack has been playing professionally and teaching jazz and popular piano styles for over 25 years. Jack graduated from and later taught at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and currently teaches music theory at Patten College in Oakland. Jack’s teaching style allows the student with an understanding of basic musical concepts (scales, chords, rhythms) to improvise immediately. His curriculum is individually tailored.

Annie Lewandowski

Annie Lewandowski is a teacher/performer/composer with backgrounds in classical, improvised and popular music. She recently moved to Oakland from Seattle, where she created an after school music program for elementary age youths that included ensemble playing, improvisation, technique, solfege, rhythm training, music listening, solo reading, composition, and performance practice. As a teacher, Annie encourages exploration in all of these areas, all the while keeping lessons fun and friendly. Lessons are designed to appeal to each student’s creativity and desire to learn. Annie holds a BA degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the College of St. Catherine, and has been the recipient of grants for performance and recording, including the Artist Trust GAP grant and the Jack Straw Artist Support Program grant.

Jan Nichols
Jan Nichols is a pianist and vocalist with 35 years performing and teaching experience. She studied piano at the Chicago Conservatory and De Paul University and has performed throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and Asia. Jan has worked in a variety of musical styles including jazz, swing and big band, and pop. She toured with Brazilian performer Walten Wanderly and was in the Executives, the backup band for the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars in the late ‘60’s. Her philosophy is to encourage individual creativity within a framework of theory, technique, and musicianship while always encouraging artistry and fun. She specializes in beginners and intermediates.

Sarah Pun-Richardson
Sarah has been teaching piano since 1995. She is a multi faceted arts educator; singer, choral director, dance teacher, and choreographer. Sarah enjoys teaching piano and believes in providing her students with a well rounded musical education in a fun environment, so that her students can perform with confidence and will enjoy making music.

Laura Sherman
Laura Sherman has been teaching piano for over 20 years. In the past 5 years she has been teaching music that includes percussion, singing, movement, and chorus in preschools and elementary schools around the Bay Area. Laura plays many styles of piano including jazz, clasical and popular styles. Her specialty is teaching beginning and intermediate students of all ages both how to read music and play by ear.

Erika Lee Uribe
Erika has been involved in music since the age of four. She is equally comfortable in the classical or popular music world. A former vocalist and keyboardist for a local rock band, she received her Bachelor’s of Music degree from San Francisco State University in classical piano performance. Erika teaches private and group classes to students of all ages. She fosters creative musicianship through an organized curriculum that includes technique, ear-training, theory, and history.

Theresa Wong
Theresa Wong is a composer, improviser, visual artist, and designer whose works explore the meeting point of these different fields. As an improviser, her sound world embraces the vast acoustic possibilities of the cello and voice as well as those of amplified bicycle and electronics. In October of 2005, she presented a solo performance of cello, amplified bicycle and video works at the Fondation Cartier in Paris and has also had her video work shown in the Other Minds Brink series in San Francisco. She has performed with many, diverse artists including Meredith Monk, ROVA, Saxophone quartet, Joelle Leandre, Gino Robair and, Florentine dance company Secondo Taglio. Ms.Wong completed a B.S. in product design at Stanford University and an MFA in music performance at Mills College.

Ben Zadan
Ben received his BFA from the California Ins
titute of the Arts in 2002. He has performed on guitar and piano at many venues in the Los Angeles area, including the Derby and the Temple Bar. In addition to his training on guitar and piano, Ben has studied world music styles from many renowned masters. He has performed with the Burat Wangi Balinese Gamelan led by Pak Nyoman Wenten at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Herbst Theatre, two performances in Bali, as well as countless other shows throughout California. In the spring of 2000 Ben built a classical guitar. In 2001, Ben performed with Charlie Haden and The Liberation Jazz Ensemble. Ben is a patient, dedicated, experienced teacher who enjoys sharing the gift of music. He custom tailors his teaching technique to the individual student, utilizing all of his training to make every lesson extensive and enjoyable.

Forms below are in Adobe® pdf format, which requires Adobe Acrobat® Reader® software, available as a free download from the Adobe website.

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• PIEDMONT PIANO COMPANY • 4382 PIEDMONT AVENUE • OAKLAND, CA 94611 • 510-547-8188 • music@piedmontpiano.com
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