Piano and Guitar Lessons with Alan W.

My name is Alan W, I’m a guitarist and pianist with five years of teaching experience! I’ve been playing guitar since I was 9, and piano since I was 14. Growing up, my guitar teacher helped me learn a variety of music, particularly classic and 90s rock. He fostered my love of improvisation, a practice I encourage in my students now!

I got my bachelor’s in Music Composition at Western Washington University, with classical guitar as my primary instrument. At Western I developed my knowledge of music theory and became a department-recommended tutor in the subject, created electroacoustic (sound-based) music, and performed in a guitar ensemble, choir, and a rock band. I also won our composition department’s internal competition during my final two years in the program.

I enjoy a variety of styles and I’m always itching to learn something new, but I’m most experienced with rock and classical styles. My teaching approach prioritizes three values: Creativity, training the ear, and following students’ interests! Creating original music is fun and an effective way to reinforce and apply the musical ideas a student has internalized. My emphasis on the ear comes from my experience as a learner, and has been refined by the research of Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory. And finally, I value students’ individuality and therefore want to work on music and topics they are drawn to as much as possible!