High School

Using a curriculum ranging from the baroque/early classical era and fiddle tunes for beginners to a more advanced and diverse repertoire for intermediate and advanced students, I aim to give each student a solid foundation on the violin or viola. This prepares my students to be able to read music and to play by ear and take the violin in whatever direction they choose later on. Using a combination of scales, exercises, rhythm games, I teach my students how to be comfortable and facile on their instruments and to be over all well rounded musicians.

I am a freelance violist and experienced teacher in the bay area. I offer lessons at my home in Alameda and in Mountain View. I am principal violist for the Susanville Symphony and I often play with many groups in the bay area- including Berkeley, Monterey, Sacramento, Modesto and Merced Symphonies.
I received my BM from the San Francisco Conservatory, working with Jodi Levitz and my MM from the University of Nevada-Reno as a graduate teaching assistant to Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio.

Acclaimed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as "a commanding solo player, the most
supportive of accompanists, and a leader in chamber music," pianist Jeffrey Sykes has
performed across four continents and collaborates regularly with leading instrumentalists
and singers. Last fall he gave a recital on Chicago’s prestigious Dame Myra Hess concert
series, and he recently returned from a tour of France that culminated in performances of
French solo and chamber music at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, home of
Claude Monet.

A Bay Area native, Nicola Gruen performed for several years as a violinist in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and freelanced with the Halle Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony and English National Ballet. She is recorded on numerous film soundtracks, including "Moulin Rouge," and she played regularly in the award winning musical "Martin Guerre." An alumna of The Crowden School, Nicola's mentors have been Anne Crowden, Colin Hampton, Virginia Baker and Emanuel Hurwitz.

My goals as a teacher are twofold: to instill and support a love of making music in each student, and to successfully teach every student while honoring each individual's learning style. My many years as a journeyman singer, a piano player, a choir director and as a parent uniquely qualify me to teach. I teach beginning pianists of any age over 5 years, and singers at any level from the age of 10. My teaching style is warm and unintimidating but my standards are high and I am very serious about what I do.

I have played in professional orchestras and jazz combos for the last fifteen years. For the past six years I have been living in Germany, playing in the Bass section of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (German State Opera.) Since my return to the Bay Area I have been performing with Opera San Jose, the Modesto, Berkeley, and Pacific Symphonies, the Stockton Chorale, as well as the Sacramento Philharmonic and San Jose Chamber Orchestra, among others. I am enthusiastic about working with students of all levels and ages. The initial lesson is free to see if the chemistry is right.

Joseph Lewis began his double bass studies at the age of nine, and holds bachelor of music and master of music with academic honors degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied double bass with Donald Palma and Lawrence Wolfe, and chamber music with Eugene Lehner and John Heiss. Mr. Lewis has had additional training with Stephen Tramontozzi, Cindy Browne, and Curtis Burris. Mr. Lewis has performed across North America and Europe, and has won several competitions in concerto performance, jazz performance, and composition. Mr.

I provide brutally honest feedback to help aspiring professionals (18 and up) sound their absolute best without pushing, and the tools every singer needs to be their own best teacher during their daily practice.
Limited space is available for beginning singers (16 and up) who are willing to put in the time and effort to develop a strong, foundational technique based on my performing experience as well as a solid knowledge of the anatomy and function of the human voice.

I enjoy working with students of all levels and aspirations. My students range from beginners of all ages, to successful amateurs playing in local orchestras and chamber groups, to full-fledged professionals. Many of my students have gone on to major conservatories and now enjoy artistic lives in major orchestras, ensembles, or as soloists.