Music Teacher & Guide

I’m blessed to teach students of all ages, in voice, piano, guitar, and ukulele. I’ve been doing it since college, about 20 years now! I’ve grown so much throughout that time, and truly have come to love teaching more than I ever thought possible. I’m generally relaxed and fun in lessons, but I keep a keen eye on my students’ goals and progress. I see music as a portal to self-expression, community bonding, and emotional healing. Learning it is both challenging and fun!

I am a Certified Trauma-Informed Nervous System in the Arts teacher. I like to treat the nervous system as our primary instrument, no matter what we’re playing. If we’re regulated, then music flows much more easily. Either I’m teaching techniques and theories, or I’m playing music with the student, guiding their innate musical spirit towards flow. And we regularly discuss how things are going, and what we might do to keep getting to the good stuff!

Some of my teaching principles are:

Stay flexible

A student’s musical studies should follow their taste as much as possible. If they’re not inspired by what we’re working on, let’s explore something else. Music is a vast network of instruments, styles, and approaches. There truly is something for everyone, and once we find that, that’s when the magic happens!

Play together!

Humans used to play music together and often. Now humans listen to music together, but most either don’t play it at all, or play occasionally and alone. Madness! I try to encourage families and friends to play together in whatever capacity is available. And I’m always playing with students in lessons, and assign them to practice along with a drum beat, backing track, or backing band app.

Kindness

Learning to play music can be hard, but frustration is an enemy of progress. So, I’m extremely encouraging! Even if you haven’t practiced. Even if you’ve messed up the same passage 30 times. I observe a student’s emotional state, and as soon as their emotions are getting in the way, we slow the process down. There’s always a way to simplify the task to something manageable, and fun!

Newsletter

Student Collabs

I hold recitals twice a year, and they’re very fun! Here’s a sampling of a recent one.

“Nico is an exceptionally talented musician, singer, and teacher. Having worked with three different vocal coaches in LA, I can confidently say Nick stands out above the rest. As an adult beginner, I've made remarkable progress in a short time thanks to his guidance. Nick is incredibly open to exploring various music genres, and he's fully embraced my passion for Mexican folk music, helping me make significant strides in my vocal journey. His teaching style combines empathy, unwavering support, and a perfect balance of positive encouragement and constructive feedback. Working with Nick has been a transformative experience.”

- Nydia

"He is truly wonderful with children (that magical balance of supportive and challenging), and is able to adeptly incorporate my daughter's individual learning style into their piano lessons."

- Kara

Nick is a wonderful teacher! He has taught me various techniques improving my vocal, piano, guitar and song writing skills. His teaching style is gentle, versatile, creative, flexible and patient. He has been instrumental in encouraging, inspiring and building my confidence as a musician. Not only does he help expand your music skills and knowledge, he also teaches important values such as the importance of play, connecting with others through music, and being your true authentic self as an artist. His lessons are invaluable.

- Jana

"He is incredibly articulate and has a way of explaining the mechanics of the voice so that they can be understood."

- Stefan

“Nick is very patient and supportive of the kids. He let's them choose songs they want to sing/play, but also helps them select songs that will challenge them.”

- Marjorie

“WE LOVE HIS CLASS. My son was a quiet, a little shy boy. After a few classes, we can felt the changes. He became love to sing the songs he learned from Mr. Nick every day with confident. He has no fear to perform on the stage. What a Magic Change. We love Mr. Nick class and I will highly recommend trying his class, as other parents in the same class before have the same impression.”

- Celine

“Nick is, above all, patient and kind. The two best qualities any teacher can possess. I can not recommend him enough to parents of children, or anyone for that matter. I might even sign myself up in the near future!”