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.

PIANO TEACHERS
(alphabetical order)

Dana Anderson, mezzo-soprano, has sung professionally on the concert and operatic stage, including San Francisco Opera, Berkeley Opera, Livermore Opera, and Sacramento Opera companies. In 2010 Dana performed as soloist in the Easter Oratorio “If I Be Lifted Up” by S.F. Bay Area composer Desiree Goyette at Unity Center in Marin. In April, she was a soloist in the Mozart Missa Brevis in F with Robert Geary conducting the Piedmont Alumni Choir at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley, CA. In July, Dana performed with Volti at the Festival del Sole in Napa, CA, with the Russian National Orchestra, Carlo Ponti conducting.  Dana is an experienced studio artist. As a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, she sings on film scores and trailers, radio and television commercials, at Skywalker Sound in Marin, and Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Most recently, she sang on the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean IV. Dana has taught voice and choral singing at the East Bay Waldorf School and Saklan School in Moraga. She holds a piano and vocal studio at the Piedmont Piano School and teaches at her private studio in the Oakland Hills.  As a lecturer and consultant on voice, Dana assists Sherrin Loyd, Speech-Language Pathologist and Executive Director of VocalEase, in classes at UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, California College of the Arts, and in private consultation.  Dana holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Lynda Arnold holds a Bachelor of Music/Business degree from DePauw University in Indiana and an Audio Production/Recording Arts degree from Ex’pression College for the Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA. She has been teaching piano, flute and beginning guitar in the Bay Area since 1999 and specializes in classical techniques, sight reading, ear training, blues, jazz and other popular styles. She values the unique creativity of each student, encouraging improvisation, composition and most importantly – fun!. Lynda also offers recording and producing packages for singers and instrumentalists looking to record demos or professional release ready recordings. Lynda currently composes and performs as ‘Divasonic’ and produces electronic-based music events and compilations with her partner company, Digital Bliss Productions.

Randy Craig Piano, Composition. BA Theatre Arts, Pomona College. Studied with Andrew Doe. Piano study with Harley Reifsnyder. Most recent study with Mark Levine and Dick Hindman.  Composer, Musical Director or Performer with: San Francisco Mime Troupe, founding member Pickle Family Circus, San Diego Rep, Oregon Shakespearean Festival at Ashland, Berkeley Rep, founding member SF Make*A*Circus, Teatro Zinzanni, Magic Theater, Aurora Theater, Dell? Arte Theater, Intersection For The Arts, The Childrens? Troupe, Vaudeville Nouveau, Human Nature Theater and others he can?t remember.  Composed more than 20 musicals for the SF Arts Education Project and the Young Actors? Workshop at Contra Costa College. Artist in Residence at Cal State Summer Arts at Humboldt State and Long Beach State. Artist in Residence at School Of The Arts High School in SF.  Has composed way too many scores for film and theatre. His work has been seen at the Mill Valley Film Festival, The SF Jewish Film Festival and others around the world. Nominated for two Bay Area Critic?s Circle Award for Best Original Score, one of which he won. Scored an Academy Award-nominated film. Didn?t win. Oh well.... Most recently composed the score for and performed in Bill Irwin?s adaptation of Moliere?s “Scapin” at American Conservatory Theater. The show was named one of the ten best of 2010 by the SF Chronicle.

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.

Chris Lanzafame recently graduated music major from UC Berkeley and has strengths in both classical and jazz piano styles and theory. He has played in many different musical groups and venues around the Bay Area including the University orchestra, wind ensembles and jazz programs. Chris has performed with a group at the Warfield in San Francisco and at the House of Blues in San Diego, and is currently playing accompaniment in the Bay Area. He has taught piano lessons throughout college and has been teaching jazz to middle school students in the East Bay and giving private classical lessons since he graduated. He varies in his teaching techniques for my students, mainly working through the Alfred series books and a unorthodox version of the suzuki method. He encourages his beginning students to read music as soon as possible, but develop their ears as well with regular ear training exercises during lessons. For intermediate and advanced students he provides different warm-ups that should start every practice to build technique, and help them learn how to recreate what they are reading (and hearing in their ear) in their performances. Chris enjoys performing and teaching music and always trys to share that love of music with his students.

Jara Ra Studying music performance and composition at San Francisco State University, Jara became adept at music notation and arranging, helping to prepare repertoire books for musical outfits Blue Bone Express, Lord Loves A Working Man, and The Carmen Milagro Band, as well as for his own solo project. He has a second college degree in Sound Arts from Ex’pression College for Digital Arts and has gone on to engineer for Bay Area studios Horus Music and Moondog Studios, and regularly involves himself in audio, video, photo, and web production. Equally at home with jazz, tango, RnB, rock, and techno music, Oakland-based Jara Ra is an excellent asset to any performance project — professional, dependable, creative, and funky. In his solo act, Jara sings as he accompanies himself with his beautiful and compellingly unique piano style drifting from barrelhouse New Orleans to pop ballad and new age folk. Aiming for the core of what jazz music is and where it is from, Jara’s playing fuses this classic, elegant aesthetic with a personal and emotive style that sounds fresh yet timeless. Truly a musical force, being an audience-member for one of Jara Ra’s performances is nothing but a pleasant and entertaining experience. email Jara at arajara@gmail.com

Maura Vazakas began her music career at age 8, studying at the Juilliard School in New York on an honorary scholarship. She went on to get her Bachelor of Music at Oberlin Conservatory and Masters at University of Michigan School of Music, where she had a class piano teaching assistantship, and piano studies with pianist Gyorgy Sandor. Maura has been teaching piano privately for over 35 years. She teaches all levels of piano to students of all ages, as well as music theory, sight reading, and technique. She is a very patient teacher and focuses each lesson on fostering the joy of music playing, as well as a keen understanding of the background of music. Maura is also a professional accompanist and a composer as well. Check out website: http://www.pianolessonssanfrancisco.com/