OC Lessons

Specialties

$ 140/​month | Beginner — Intermediate Pop/​Rock Piano Lessons

* Learn how to play your favorite songs off the radio.

* Learn how to read and play sheet music.

* Write your own songs using chords.

If you are looking to learn the piano for enjoyment rather than educational merit consider a hybrid approach to the typical traditional piano lessons. I teach the foundation of classical piano which is the bread and butter of learning how to communicate with notes. And I also teach how to use chords so the popular songs you learn sound more like the ones on the radio. Using my own unique approach, i try to get my students playing the fun stuff right away — even at the lower levels — by custom writing out their favorite songs and melodies.

Every student is also automatically enrolled in my ongoing Student Album Reward Program where they apply their knowledge to a tangible project create their very own recorded CDs/​Albums complete with self-​designed cover.

History

Established in 2001.

I didn’t plan to be a teacher. It just sort of came naturally and grew out of loving what I do. I have been teaching since 2001. I earned several music certificates from Orange Coast College, however, most of my development as a teacher has come from reading, workshops, talking to other teachers, and real world experience.

I am always trying to figure out new ways to keep my students excited. Along with my Student Album program I custom write out Popular Songs so my students can enjoy playing their favorites (even at the lower levels).

Here are some of the songs my students learned this year:

Clocks — Coldplay

When I Was Your Man — Bruno Mars

Dynamite — Taio Cruz

Desperado — The Eagles

Stariway to Heaven — Led Zeppelin

Piano Man — Billy Joel

Let It Be — The Beatles

Nothing Else Matters — Metallica

I Knew You Were Trouble — Taylor Swift

Therapy — All Time Low

Old Time Rock n’ Roll — Bob Seger

Moondance — Van Morrison

Blvd of Broken Dreams — Green Day

Firework — Katy Perry

Meet the Business Owner

Miss Mandy O.

Business Owner

Music is simple in concept and never ending in possibility. I seek to grow as a teacher and musician and to inspire those in my wake.

My upbringing consisted mostly of classical music. I started learning piano at age 6 and later played the oboe, flute, and clarinet as music became more of a solid hobby. My classical background gave me a nice foundation in the technical fundamentals of playing music and notation literacy.

Later in life, however, I found it difficult to expand outward to other forms of popular music — I was trained to read music, but not how to use chords and creativity to build a song. This sent me on a mission to learn the other side of playing — where notes are replaced by chords and the emphasis is on being able to play by ear and explore sound.

Through my explorations I have come up with my own custom approach to teaching what I wish was included in my own training. I absolutely am blessed to thoroughly love my job as a piano teacher.

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