Melbourne Music Lessons

Mike is an amazing musician, a great teacher and an all around wonderful guy. I started taking lessons from Mike when he was in Oakland and continue to do so thanks to the magic of the internet now. For someone who has played an instrument before, Mike’s attention to detail and the basics helps you elevate your skill and game to a different level altogether. For someone who is a beginner, Mike’s classes are the perfect mix of basic technique training, music theory and 100% fun — because face it, if it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t be playing.
His range and versatility is incredible — we’ve gone from playing traditional blues and jazz based music to ripping through metal in our lessons and his attention to detail and technique has helped my playing all those types of music equally.
If you really want to learn how to play the guitar, the bass or the piano or even sing, Mike’s probably the best in town. Seriously, meet the guy. You won’t get a better teacher.

I only took piano lessons with Mike for a few months, but his style of teaching made a world of difference! I had taken lessons as a kid for several years, and forgotten almost everything. Starting back up with Mike, I learned just how much was lacking in my training the first time around. With emphasis on mechanics, form, rhythm, and breathing (before simply practicing a piece of music), it completely changed the way I learned and practiced, and I am a much better player as a result. While he’s diligent in making sure you learn the basics, he’s also flexible if there’s something you show interest in spending time on. As teachers go, he’s the best I’ve had :)

Hi lucky Australians, you get to take guitar lessons from a great teacher. I definitely feel lucky that I got to take some lessons before he left. Mike knows how to teach (lessons from great guitar players who don’t know how to teach are to be avoided!), and he knows what he’s talking about. Most importantly, he has an opinion as to what you should be learning. You can choose the direction, any direction, but if you listen to what he thinks is important for you to work on, you’ll probably learn a lot really quickly. If you want to figure out a particular song or how to play a certain kind of music, he can of course help you with that. He also makes theory make a lot of sense, especially as applied to song-​learning or songwriting. He’s a very nice person and is really supportive! His is a safe learning environment. Also, he has great equipment. Seriously, it makes lessons so fun. Enjoy.

As a guitarist who has played for decades and for years in working bands, I wondered where to find the right music teacher, so I couldn’t have been more pleased when I went to Mike. First off, he’s a music teacher, not a guitar instructor, and that’s exactly what I wanted. After playing with him for only a few moments, he identified what I needed to work on and had great exercises that humbled me but also moved me forward in short order. I find our lessons to be a perfect mix of theory, exercises, and fun. Already my live playing is better and my confidence is increased!
Mike is supportive and friendly yet rigorous and makes good use of our time, something I really appreciate. I couldn’t recommend him too much to experienced players who are looking for ways to move their music forward. One day I look forward to coming to Mike to learn the piano!

My son has taken piano lessons from Mike for the past year — and it’s been a fantastic experience. Mike is very focused on the fundamentals — hand/​body positioning, rhythm, reading/​writing/​composing, etc. — while at the same time willing to explore a wide variety of music/​artists, based on his student’s interests. In addition, Mike is super-​cool, so he can relate incredibly well to kids (and adults). He is encouraging (not judgmental) and has a very relaxed teaching style. Plus, he’s very reliable — good at communicating, keeps his appointments, etc. I’d highly recommend Mike.

I couldn’t be happier with my guitar lessons with Mike. He’s that rare combination: a great musician who’s passionate about music AND a truly gifted teacher. Super chill guy as well. The aspiring guitarists of Melbourne are lucky to be getting him back.

Mike was a better teacher than I could have hoped for.
He has a rare combination of making sure you learn what you want to learn, while being clear about what he has seen work. As others have said on this site, he is a good person and someone you will enjoy hanging out with. I never felt guilty when I couldn’t practice as much as I wanted, but at the same time I did feel that Mike genuinely cared about my progress and wanted me to have the gift of music in my life.
I got the sense from all the other students that they loved working with Mike as much as I did.

Hard for me to give anyone five stars, but I think Michael is the greatest. Unlike other music teachers, he works with you to set the plan of how the lessons will go. He is a great listener, and very intuitive — he can figure out what you are saying, what you want, even if your musical language and expression is limited. He is very quick, responsive and smart, and very energetic without being off-​putting. His best quality is engaging with you and connecting with you.

I took piano lessons from Mike for almost a year and he is the best teacher I could’ve possibly asked for. Detailed, attentive, flexible, genuinely interested in helping you learn — not to mention a fantastic person and friend! Mike is casual and knowledgeable and the lessons are fun every single week.
I took piano lessons as a child but didn’t get very far and I wanted to try it again with more of a emphasis on theory, improvisation and writing. I found Mike on Unilocal and from day one he listened to my goals/​musical interests and tailored lessons exactly to what I was trying to learn. Everything was within a detailed framework that allowed me to be expressive while still developing essential knowledge and technique.
There are a lot of talented piano players who have technical skill and talent, but it will be hard to find anyone who is ALSO as naturally gifted at teaching. Mike cuts through excess information and gets to the core of things. It felt like every lesson was personalized and even though he’s done it a thousand times he makes it seem new. On top of everything else he provides awesome cultural and historical references that make the lessons feel all the more interesting and exciting. Look no further — if you’re starting out or have experience it’s the best you can find.

I’ve been taking piano lessons from Mike for about a year now, and highly recommend him! I took lessons when I was a kid, but (regrettably) gave it up when I got older. Picking it back up with Mike has been great because he’s extremely patient, places huge emphasis on form and foundation, and is really easy to get along with.
I’d recommend him to beginners looking to learn for the first time, or even more advanced players hoping to perfect their technique.

I started taking piano lessons with Mike about five months ago, having plunked around on keyboards for a number of years without any real idea of what I was doing. I’m thrilled with the progress I’ve made in just a short time and I couldn’t be happier with Mike as a teacher.
Mike’s a super easy going guy, but at the same time he’s very clear about what it takes to get better as a player. The structure of the lessons has been perfect. I feel like I’m developing a thorough grasp of fundamentals and technique, but Mike’s always introducing new concepts to keep things interesting. He also goes out of his way to relate what I’m learning back to the music I enjoy personally.
I’d recommend Mike without reservation. I look forward to my lesson every week.

I’ve been taking guitar lessons with Mike for just under two years and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. He is a great musician, an inspiring teacher and a phenomenal person.
Mike is a master in all the technical aspects of playing guitar and piano, as well as music theory and the history of music. His lessons are a great balance between learning the fundamentals required for becoming an advanced player and fun exercises to keep things interesting.
In addition to being a multi-​instrumentalist, Mike is able to play pretty much any style you could bring him, and he’s always more than happy to dig in and help you deconstruct a song you’re interested in. While I often like to take advantage of this, I also love to let Mike guide me towards new music and styles. This is very important to someone who’s learning and needs to be introduced to new musical influences.
As someone who has taken up guitar post-​college, it’s been great to learn from Mike’s work ethic and dedicated approach to mastering the guitar & piano. Given that he’s a very prolific writer & performer himself, he’s always able to draw from personal experience when I come to him with questions about songwriting, recording, or even which gear to use/​buy.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking for a new teacher to help you take your playing to the next level, Mike is the man to talk to. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Mike is an absolutely epic teacher and an amazing musician! I couldn’t be more stoked to have Mike as a guitar teacher and he’s brought me on leaps and bounds. Highly, highly recommended and super easy to work with!

I have been taking guitar lessons from Mike for the past 4 months and it has been a blast. Mike is awesome and I want to highlight a few of the things that make him an exceptional teacher in the event that others discover him through Unilocal as I did.
Mike is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience. He has been a member of numerous bands and has toured extensively across the US and Australia. Even now Mike is actively writing new songs and performing at various venues in San Francisco and Oakland. It’s cool to think that the person giving you instruction gets on stage and performs live when he isn’t teaching.
Mike is a true student of music. Not only does he possess vast knowledge about the technical mechanics of playing guitar, but he also is extremely well-​versed in musical theory, songwriting, and the history of music. It is interesting to note that Mike learned to play guitar as an adult in college. Because of this, he is even better equipped to effectively teach his adult students who may walk into their first lesson with little to no prior musical experience.
Another great thing about Mike is that he is both organized and flexible. When I first decided to take lessons I worried that my instructor and I would play random exercises for an hour each week and that my progress would be difficult to track. Upon meeting Mike I was pleasantly surprised to see that he keeps detailed notes for each student, organizes exercises into easy-​to-​digest weekly practice sheets, and follows up week after week to answer my questions and help me with areas that I find challenging. Also, while Mike has curated a very effective set of curriculum, he is open to letting students choose the ratio between exercises and song playing to ensure that everyone stays engaged and motivated.
Although it should be evident by now, in addition to being a very talented musician and instructor Mike is a great person. He genuinely cares about his students and wants to see them learn, enjoy music, and achieve their goals. Despite his qualifications and abilities, Mike is the complete opposite of pretentious — he is down to earth, fun, personable, and patient. I can’t recommend Mike highly enough.

Mike is an amazing teacher and all-​around great human being. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I was a complete beginner when I started guitar lessons with Mike last fall, and I am so happy with how much progress I’ve made. I can plunk out a decent number of songs now, and (more importantly) feel like I’ve got a really solid foundation of skills to build on. Mike doesn’t even laugh at me when I want to learn angsty Indigo Girls or Natalie Imbruglia songs! Truly a gentleman and a scholar.
The lessons are a combination of technical skill-​building, music theory, and songs, and I really notice the progress every week. The homework and written instructions for practicing between lessons are super clear and organized, and so helpful for (those frequent occasions) when I’ve forgotten what I’m supposed to be doing.
It’s also awesome to pick Mike’s brain about his incredible wealth of knowledge of music and music history. His enthusiasm is infectious, and being around someone who loves music so much helps motivate me on those nights when my fingers just don’t want to make that G chord. He might even let you borrow some of his CDs, if you’re nice.
Mike is a patient, kind, and incredibly effective teacher, and also great company. My lessons are one of the high points of my week, and every week I come away feeling a little bit more confident and happy with my playing than I expected to. Learning to play music again has been such a gift, and I am so glad I found such a great teacher to get me started.

In a single word, Michael is ‘awesome’. He is a master at his craft, and patiently guides you through each lesson. He insists on keeping everything fun, and that makes a huge difference. At the end of every lesson, we’d make incremental progress on songs that you pick, which keeps you engaged throughout the rest of the week while you practice. Highly recommend.

Mike is a very patient teacher. He makes you feel at ease in your lessons. He is excellent at pinpointing areas of your playing that need improvement and tailoring exercises to those areas. He also makes sure that lessons are enjoyable. He loves music and loves to teach. Highly recommended!

I took piano lessons as a child and abandoned when I went to college. As an adult now in my 30’s, I wanted to rediscover music from a different angle. As a child, I was always taught theory and technique and played strictly classical music. As an adult, I wanted to learn how to play and make music. As indispensable as theory and technique are, I wanted to add creativity and fun to music and explore beyond the realms of just classical music.
A Unilocal search led to Mike and I couldn’t have been happier with my lessons from him. His methods for teaching piano were structured, organized, and yet a lot of fun. Through his instruction, I was able to open that door for creativity and learned how to compose music not through just the piano but incorporate software programs and apps to make music as well. Mike was totally receptive to new ideas, patient, and helped me figure out what I needed improvement on and tips on how to become a more effective player. I would continue lessons with Mike were it not for my odd work schedule.
If you’re looking for an inspiring piano or guitar instructor, look no further. Mike is knowledgeable, accommodating, and overall great teacher!

I’ve been taking guitar lessons from Michael for over 6 months now — very happy with it! He is an excellent teacher and provides great structure to the lessons. You can tell he was taught well and is passing on the knowledge.
I played violin as a kid and wanted a similar structure and technical foundation to improve my guitar playing. Until I started taking lessons from Michael, I mostly learned guitar on my own and from friends. Michael’s lessons have been huge in getting me further along in playing by giving me really helpful exercises, lessons in theory and listening. I’ve improved in a bunch of different areas.
He also makes sure that I’m having fun while learning and prioritizes the style and skills I’m interested in.
Excellent teacher, highly recommend!

All my life wanted to learn the guitar. And all my life been as intimidated as hell of professional musicians. Mike is a patient, nurturing, effective teacher. He will build your confidence and work you hard, but at your own pace. I couldn’t recommend him higher.
Bless him, he doesn’t even bat an eye when I ask him to teach me John Denver, Rick Springfield, even Broadway stuff.