WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE PIANO LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALL DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

The Westlake Music Academy offers piano lessons in classical, popular, and just general beginning piano. Beginning students will learn the fundamentals of technique and overall music skills.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE GUITAR LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy offers guitar lessons in classical, jazz, folk, fingerstyle, blues, rock, and general guitar for those who want lessons in no particular style.

We also offer lessons in bass and ukulele.

Beginners

The goals of the student become the goals of the teacher. If there is a certain style or artist you want to be able to play, lessons will be designed to reach the goal of your playing those styles and songs.

In order to best reach those goals, lessons for beginners will emphasize the fundamentals of guitar technique and overall music skills so the student can build on a foundation that will help to maximize his or her potential on the guitar. Students will learn how to read music on the guitar as reading music has several additional benefits such as understanding how rhythm works, learning the notes on the fret board and effective single-note picking.

Chords will also be taught along with strumming technique and strumming patterns.

Classical guitar beginning students will learn a sound technique which will prepare them for being able to handle the challenges of classical repertoire.

Intermediate and Advanced Levels

Intermediate and advanced level students will be able to spend more time learning the songs they most want to play. Depending on the student’s goals and needs, he or she will learn such things as the pentatonic and major scale forms, modes, finger picking, improvisation, string-bending, sweep picking and theory.

Intermediate and advanced level classical guitar students will work on refinement of technique, repertoire, and interpretation.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE CLASSICAL GUITAR LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy provides classical guitar lessons for ages 6 through adults.

Classical guitar holds a wealth of possibilities, not only for the breadth of wonderful pieces spanning 5 centuries, but also for providing the guitarist with a comprehensive training that is applicable not only to classical, but to any other style possible on the instrument.

Beginners will learn:

• effective seating position and right and left hand positioning;

• right hand technique, training the positioning and movements of the thumb, then the index, middle and ring fingers for rest stroke and free stroke;

• left hand technique, emphasizing proper positioning of arm, hand, and fingers, using minimal pressure for pressing strings;

• reading music;

• easy and attractive pieces, very gradually advancing to pieces introducing new skills in a logical step-by-step progression; and

• the basics of musical concepts like phrasing and dynamics.

Intermediate and advanced students will learn:

• refinement of technique;

• correcting any bad habits of technique that are holding the student back; this could be minor details or could be all-encompassing, depending on the student;

• more advanced left hand positioning;

• repertoire appropriate to the student’s level from intermediate to advanced, working on interpretation and expression within the context of these pieces; and

• scale and arpeggio exercises.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE BASS LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy offers lessons in bass guitar and upright bass. Upright bass lessons are offered in classical and jazz. Lessons in bass guitar cover numerous styles from jazz to rock.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE VOICE LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy offers voice lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. Students can study a wide variety of styles, including classical, musical theater, and popular music genres.

Lessons for Ages 13 through Adult

All students will learn how to establish good vocal technique, healthy breath support, vocal diction, and musicianship. More advanced students will also be coached in musicality and artistry along with advanced vocal technique. Students of all levels will learn good practice habits, vocal warm-up exercises, music reading, and vocal health in each lesson. If applicable, students can receive coaching for upcoming auditions, performances, or competitions in their private lessons as well.

Lessons for Ages 6 through 12

Voice lessons for ages 6 through 12 will be structured according to the age and level of musical experience of the student. Most lessons will consist of:

• Vocal warmups and stretches to free the voice of tension and work on vocal agility

• Ear training

• Training of proper breathing and breath management for singing

• Exercises to improve proper diction and articulation for singing

• Introduction of repertoire suitable for the young singer such as folk songs and musical theatre songs

In addition, lessons will employ games that work on unaccompanied singing, beginner music theory, ear training, and reading of rhythm. These will be worked on within the lesson and practiced at home.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE VIOLIN LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy provides violin lessons as well as viola lessons from ages 4 through adults, from beginning level students to advanced players.

When taking violin lessons at Westlake Music Academy, you will learn:

• Healthy posture with comfortable hands and feet. This is important so that you can play with more ease and without tension.

• Good tone so that you can learn how to make a rich and beautiful sound on the violin or viola.

• Intonation, that is, playing on pitch. This is taught by singing melodies, recognizing pitches, hearing the differences between higher and lower pitches, and hearing pitch intervals.

• Reading music. Often with younger children learning to read music is delayed until one is older. This is generally true for children under the age of 7. Instead, the Suzuki approach is used, which emphasizes playing by ear. We teach both the Suzuki method and the traditional approach depending on the age of the student.

• General musicianship. This encourages the student to both express what is contained in the music itself and to express their own emotions, which is something unique to each and every person.

Additional things taught are rhythm, basic bow strokes, and performance preparation and stage presentation, so that the student can learn how to be confident and relaxed and really enjoy playing for others.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE CELLO LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy offers cello lessons in beginning, intermediate and advanced. Beginning students will learn the fundamentals of technique and overall music skills.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE DRUM LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy offers drum lessons (and percussion lessons) ages 7 through adult for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students. Students can study a wide variety of styles and genres, from pop and rock drum set to marching and classical. 

Lessons for beginners will emphasize the fundamentals of drum and percussion technique so that the student can build on a foundation that will help to maximize his or her potential. Students will learn the basic beats, patterns, hand-foot coordination, and rudiments that make up the language of drumming. As studies progress, the student will also learn to read music. 

Intermediate and advanced level drum set students will be able to spend more time learning the songs they most want to play. Depending on the student’s goals and needs, he or she will learn a wide range of grooves, styles, and improvisation. Intermediate and advanced level marching and concert percussion students will work on refinement of technique, repertoire, and interpretation.

WE ARE NOW OFFERING ONLINE FLUTE LESSONS VIA VIDEO CALLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS

Westlake Music Academy offers flute lessons in beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Beginning students will learn the fundamentals of technique and overall music skills.