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January 2024 by Regina Guerra
I've been taking piano lessons with Stephen for two years and it's amazing how much progress I've made. I like the playing-based approach to Simply Music, it's fun and accessible. Even though I could already read music the program presented music in a new way and I now have a deeper understanding of patterns, chords, note relationships, etc. And I can play many songs by memory! Stephen is a supportive and patient teacher. He does a good job balancing the Simply Music program with other pieces I'm interested in working on and offers suggestions for how to explore music through singing and fake books. On the logistics side, Stephen is organized, responsive, and easy to work with. Overall great experience.
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October 2023 by Ty C
I've been enjoying learning piano with Stephen for about a year and a half now. He always does a great job answering all my questions and helping me become a much better piano player.
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September 2023 by Larisa Ashley
My preteen daughter has been learning piano from Stephen since Spring, 2022. In those 18 months she has learned to play a variety of music as well as practiced the life skill of perseverance. Stephen is a skilled, patient, and encouraging teacher. The Simply Music Program that Stephen uses is engaging and progresses in a natural way. As someone with little musical background myself, it has been a joy to watch my daughter learn and grow while also learning quite a bit myself. I would highly recommend Stephen to anybody looking to learn piano in a fun way with a great teacher!
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September 2023 by Micah Reyes
Stephen is an incredible teacher. I have taken lessons with him for over 10 years and he has consistently been prepared, knowledgable, and has advice and expectations that are catered to my skill level and habits. I am very grateful for all of the years I had Stephen as a teacher!
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September 2023 by Kathy Westphal
I have been studying with Stephen for several years, and it has been a rewarding experience. I not only have improved my playing, but have learned quite a bit about music in general. I appreciate that he teaches in a way that exposes me to many different types of music, and that he is consistently supportive of my work.
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December 2021 by Tracey B
My teenage daughter has been taking piano lessons with Stephen for 2-3 years now. Not only is Stephen very patient and kind, but he is also a great communicator and very encouraging. I believe that my daughter continues with the lessons because between Stephen's teaching style and the Simply Music Program, she feels challenged (yet not overwhelmed), and she is always learning something new. Being able to play different styles of music right from the get go has kept her interested and wanting to learn more. I'm not sure the traditional approach to learning the piano would have kept her engaged. Stephen is always available for his students. He is a wonderful teacher.
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October 2021 by Ralph Wade
Stephen is great. I moved back to Santa Rosa last year and needed a piano teacher to resume lessons. I connected with Stephen and began taking lessons earlier this year, trying out the Simply Music program. I really enjoy it - easy to follow, detailed instruction materials, includes written, audio, and video elements. You can definitely track weekly progress. In addition to this Stephen allows and encourages me to continue working on previous projects. Overall it has been great working with Steven.
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October 2021 by Tracey Balderson
My teenage daughter has been taking piano lessons with Stephen for 2-3 years now. Not only is Stephen very patient and kind, but he is also a great communicator and very encouraging. I believe that my daughter continues with the lessons because between Stephen's teaching style and the Simply Music Program, she feels challenged (yet not overwhelmed), and she is always learning something new. Being able to play different styles of music right from the get go has kept her interested and wanting to learn more. I'm not sure the traditional approach to learning the piano would have kept her engaged. Stephen is always available for his students. He is a wonderful teacher.
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October 2021 by jonathan jung
Stephen has been my son's piano teacher for just about two years. I was not familiar with the Simply Music program prior to this, so I did not have any expectations. I have some previous musical experiences with various instruments, but all had been with a traditional reading and music theory approach.My son started at age 5, and in the two years has shown great progress on the piano. The most important aspect has been that he is not tired or bored of playing. I believe that with with the patience of Stephen and the variety of the styles in the program, this is a great way to get a child (or adult) a solid start into the world of music.I would highly recommend Stephen and the Simply Music program to anybody who wants to try a different approach to learning to play the piano.
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September 2021 by Jo Weber
Stephen is The BEST! Knows his stuff, is patient and offers a variety of styles to help me broaden my horizons. I recommend him highly!
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September 2021 by Kathy Westphal
Stephen has encouraged me to try different types of projects and has helped me add to my knowledge of music and piano
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September 2021 by Tracey B.
My teenage daughter has been taking piano lessons with Stephen for 2-3 years now. Not only is Stephen very patient and kind, but he is also a great communicator and very encouraging. I believe that my daughter continues with the lessons because between Stephen's teaching style and the Simply Music Program, she feels challenged (yet not overwhelmed), and she is always learning something new. Being able to play different styles of music right from the get go has kept her interested and wanting to learn more. I'm not sure the traditional approach to learning the piano would have kept her engaged. Stephen is always available for his students. He is a wonderful teacher.
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September 2021 by Melissa G.
My son started learning his first musical instrument, the piano, and Stephen is our first teacher. We've been really happy with the experience and my son is very motivated to learn with the Simply Music style. Stephen is organized, he communicates very well and his passion for both teaching and playing is evident. I love how quickly one can progress while learning with Stephen, and the resources are fantastic.
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March 2021 by Lan Sun
Stephen is a great piano teacher. He is very skillful and knowledgeable. He adapts his teaching to suit students' different progress and needs. He is very patient and kind. But he does use his gentle way to point out areas to improve and guide students to progress steadily. Simply Music is a unique program. It is fun and versatile. In about a year, I have learned playing more than 30 songs that are different in styles, such as classical, blues, accompaniment, etc. Many songs are taught to be played at different complexities. I can clearly feel the advancement of my playing skills. All the knowledge about chords, rhythm etc. is embedded in different music pieces and has become easier to grasp. I am an adult student and was exposed to piano when I was young. In the past, I always thought that it would require many years of practice to be able to play and sing. But just in the first class, I was already learning that. It is even more amazing to me that I can write my own songs and improvise now. Stephen has many years of experience teaching this program. With his strong music background and his inspiring teaching style, learning has been very effective. Stephen also organizes recitals for students regularly. I already performed once. This was also a good experience for me. I got the chance to polish my playing and enjoyed playing to the audience for the first time. I have a busy work and life. But I truly enjoy every moment I spent on my piano. I highly recommend Stephen to whoever want to bring piano to their life.
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February 2021 by Lan S.
Stephen is a great piano teacher. He is very skillful and knowledgeable. He adapts his teaching to suit students' different progress and needs. He is very patient and kind. But he does use his gentle way to point out areas to improve and guide students to progress steadily. Simply Music is a unique program. It is fun and versatile. In about a year, I have learned playing more than 30 songs that are different in styles, such as classical, blues, accompaniment, etc. Many songs are taught to be played at different complexities. I can clearly feel the advancement of my playing skills. All the knowledge about chords, rhythm etc. is embedded in different music pieces and has become easier to grasp. I am an adult student and was exposed to piano when I was young. In the past, I always thought that it would require many years of practice to be able to play and sing. But just in the first class, I was already learning that. It is even more amazing to me that I can write my own songs and improvise now. Stephen has many years of experience teaching this program. With his strong music background and his inspiring teaching style, learning has been very effective. Stephen also organizes recitals for students regularly. I already performed once. This was also a good experience for me. I got the chance to polish my playing and enjoyed playing to the audience for the first time. I have a busy work and life. But I truly enjoy every moment I spent on my piano. I highly recommend Stephen to whoever want to bring piano to their life.
