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Jenny P.

Jenny has always been passionate about music and teaching piano and feels privileged to have taught for over three decades. She believes that because every student is different, each lesson should be different. Her emphasis on the importance of positive reinforcement helps her students excel rapidly. Jenny was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and began to play the piano when she was two. She began serious piano studies with her mother when she was five, and mentoring with Juilliard-trained Olive P. Endres when she was seven. Jenny’s “teaching lineage” can be traced back to Beethoven through Miss Endres! Accepted to Oberlin College Conservatory when she was 16, Jenny majored in Piano Performance with Sedmara Zakarian Rutstein, a former professor of the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Conservatory. She taught Sight-Singing and Ear-Training to fellow conservatory students at Oberlin and was a member of the Oberlin College Choir as a freshman. Jenny was also a MacPhail Performance Scholar in Minneapolis, studying piano with Yakov Gelfand, also originally of the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Conservatory. Jenny has been teaching piano in San Diego County since 1991 and has been living and teaching in Ramona since January 2007. She also coached vocal students, specializing in ”getting them to sing in tune.” In addition to teaching, Jenny served as Service Keyboardist and Choral Rehearsal Accompanist at St. Mary’s in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Ramona. Here, she became Choir Director and Music Director until 2017. With a desire to focus on choral singing, Jenny joined the La Jolla Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and the Point Loma Nazarene University Choral Union. She also accompanies the White Sands Retirement Community Sandpiper Singers choir in La Jolla.

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Jenny P.

San Diego County

  • Voice.
  • Piano.
  • Music Theory.

Virginia C.

Virginia appeared in concert halls throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil and Taiwan. As a winner of the Eleazar de Carvalho Festival concerto competition, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist at the International Music Festival. Ms. Chang Chien enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and piano educator. She has performed numerous concerts in significant venues, such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the United States Capitol. Among Ms.Chang Chien’s career highlights, she was a guest soloist and presented the “Marcello Oboe Concerto” in Eleazar de Carvalho Festival, Brazil. During her residency in Banff Centre for the Performing Arts, she gave a lecture about “Performance in the Romantic Period” and a recital. After her Carnegie Hall debut, she was commissioned by New York Composer Circle to premiere contemporary works. In 2017, she released an EP featuring contemporary solo work for oboe and my first album “Oboist: Virginia ChangChien” featuring works of Marcello, Schumann and Ravel, published by MEII Enterprise INC, NYC. In 2019, she joined as principal oboe at Bear Valley Music Festival under conductor Michael Morgan, performing concert series with renowned pianist Olgan Kern. In 2021, she founded a chamber ensemble called “Phantasy Trio”, composed of oboe, cello and piano. The debut concert received favorable reviews. As a seasoned oboe player, her appearances include with the United Nations Symphony Orchestra, Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra, and UN woodwind quintet, Bergen Symphony Orchestra, the Ureuk Symphony and New York Composer Circles. Recent solo appearances include a performance of Bach Concerto For Violin and Oboe, Marcello Oboe Concerto with Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra, Schumann Fantasy Op.73 arranged for oboe and piano, Peri Mauer’s “Journey for solo oboe”, Eugene Marlow’s “Agitation du Coeur” and Moshe Knoll’s "Introduction and Allegro" for oboe, cello and piano. Contemporary works were premiered at New York Composer Circles and Weiwuying National Concert Hall, Taiwan. Her solo performance earned my reviews, including from music critic sites, "The Glass" and “Soundwordsight”. As an oboe and piano educator, she conducted Oboe Master Class in Taiwan. In addition to her private studio , She's been teaching oboe and piano lessons for more than 10 years in the Greater New York area such as faculty of Piano School of NYC, Beekman International School and Léman Manhattan Preparatory School, NYC. In fall of 2022 , she began working with Musikey Company, which is the largest music school in Southern California. Originally from Taiwan, Virginia received a master’s degree under Professor Humbert Lucarelli at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College (City University of New York). She also participated in a master class under Gordon Hunt, Washington Barella, and Sarah Skuster.

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Virginia C.

San Diego County

  • Voice.
  • Piano.
  • Oboe.
  • Music Theory.

Laura C.

My name is Laura and I’m from Romania. I come from a family of musicians. My father is a conductor, and my mother was a concert pianist. I'm a professional singer & violinist with more than 12 years of teaching experience! I was the founder, manager, lead vocalist and violinist for Duo Strings Cafe, an established Café Concert band in Bucharest. I performed in various Mariachi and pop / rock bands in Romania. I'm also an actress and played various opera and theater roles like the soprano Caterina Cavalieri in the "Amadeus " play. I offer singing & violin classes to students of all ages. I'm a vocal coach versed in various styles (pop, rock, Latino, jazz, etc.) I have been playing the violin since I was 5 years old. I've graduated with a Bachelor of Art in classical canto. It was always my dream to manage and teach in a music school, this is why I opened my own in Bucharest. It had 2 branches and a separate recording studio location. I love my job because of the satisfaction I get from witnessing my students' passion grow as they improve. During my singing classes the students learn how to breathe correctly. I will also teach them about proper posture, rhythm, articulation and train their ears. We will be able to differentiate and properly switch between voice registers, from chest voice, to head, mix, falsetto. I will also show them different voice "effects" like vocal fry, adding distortion, using twang, belting... During violin classes, i will start with some exercises focusing on technique, scales, rhythm and bow control. We'll brush up on our previous lessons, then we'll go through the homework till we finally get to the best part of our lesson: playing a song. The violin aids in keeping a straight posture and improves our hands dexterity. I look forward to seeing you in class!

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Laura C.

San Diego County

  • Voice.
  • Violin.
  • Music Theory.

Ryan K.

Ryan grew up among a family of professional brass musicians and educators in Cape Town, South Africa. He began learning the violin at age 6 and subsequently changed over to the trumpet at 7 for which he took lessons alongside a host of other instruments including the piano, guitar and double bass. It was at age 11 that he decided to leave the trumpet and take up the tenor trombone. This decision changed the trajectory of his musical career as he would audition for and receive a scholarship to attend Diocesan College Boys’ School in Cape Town for the duration of his high school years. It was here that he studied with British trombonist extraordinaire and brass teacher Stuart Scott. He attended the South African National Youth Orchestra course for multiple years throughout high school, travelling in 2006 to Germany as part of the South African National Youth Orchestra where he performed Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in the Beethoven Hall in the city of Bonn. After high school Ryan pursued his tertiary studies at the University of Cape Town where completed both a Performance Diploma and Post-Graduate Diploma in Western Classical music specializing in trombone performance. In this duration, he studied with trombonist and UCT head of brass William Haubrich, San Diego native and USC alumnus. Throughout and after his university career Ryan freelanced with the Cape Philharmonic, the Johannesburg Philharmonic and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestras on Bass, Tenor and Alto Trombones. He also performed and won category prizes for local music competitions, taught music at various schools and freelanced in many jazz ensembles. Ryan moved to the US in 2019 to become a Marine Musician, eventually being stationed at MCAS Miramar. He performed in many parades and ceremonies in the duration of his service, including the illustrious Tournament of Roses Parade.

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Ryan K.

San Diego County

  • Voice.
  • Piano.
  • Guitar.
  • Drums.
  • Songwriting.
  • Bass guitar.
  • Bass.
  • Saxophone.
  • Trumpet.
  • Ukulele.
  • Music Theory.

Fil S

Dr. Fil is a freelance music performer, educator, and arts administrator from Rochester Hills, Michigan. Over the past 23 years, Fil has mastered multiple different instruments and genres with experience playing in a wide variety of ensembles from jazz to classical. Fil first began taking piano lessons at age 5 and quickly began writing and arranging his own compositions which went on to win multiple awards from the Michigan PTA Reflections Program. Since then, Fil has performed at a number of studio recitals showcasing the works of Chopin, Liszt, Grieg, Schubert, Mozart, Satie and Bartók, and has performed in a number of pit orchestras playing organ and keyboard. Fil began playing trumpet in middle school and his talent has since gone on to be showcased, not only across the nation, but also on the international scene, captivating audiences in Australia, Canada, Germany, and England. Over his 15 year career, Fil has gone on to perform with such groups as the Detroit symphony youth orchestra, Five Lakes Silver Band, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Coronado Philharmonia, the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus and more. With a wealth of experience in various styles and genres, Fil's versatility enables him to connect with his students on a deeper level, instilling in them a love for music and a desire to explore its vast possibilities. Musical creativity, curiosity, and technical proficiency are the focus of Fil’s teaching. Fil holds his doctorate in musical arts from Louisiana State University where he also received a minor in music history. He received his masters in music from Michigan State University and holds his bachelors from Oakland University."Dr.Fil also offers ABRSM testing for students who are looking to get tested through this program.

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Fil S

San Diego County

  • Piano.
  • Trumpet.
  • Music Theory.