Hi! I'm Erika, and I teach music for voice, guitar, bass, and piano. I have been teaching music to children and adults at a music school in Phoenix, Arizona for the past 5 years. In 2022 I had 60 students there. I recently moved to the Netherlands and am also learning Dutch. I teach jazz, rock, folk, and pop music.

I am enthusiastic about teaching music, playing music, and sharing music with others! My teaching style is fast-paced, energetic and encouraging. I will help you overcome obstacles as you learn to play your instrument and learn songs. Some students have difficulty focusing, and other students have difficulty with the physical demands of playing an instrument. Some students have challenges with confidence, and others with pushing themselves to play more challenging material. I have experienced all of these challenges myself, so I am here to help you at every stage of your musical journey!

I have professional experience as a vocalist, guitarist, electric and upright bassist. I have experience teaching voice, guitar, piano, electric and upright bass to students from age 5 to 65+. You can watch examples of my lessons and teaching style below! For piano, I have experience teaching beginners, however I am not a professional pianist. I am now a multi-instrumental musician and educator, with experience teaching in person and online, one-on-one lessons, and classes of up to 24 students at a time.

You can read more about my musical background and professional experience as a musician.

I have experience performing and recording jazz, rock, indie and folk music in recording studios, as well as small and large music venues. I studied Upright Bass performance in New York at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary music, and I taught the Electric Bass studio at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. My passion for music is fueled by a constant pursuit of self-realization, honesty, and communication through performance. I have been a musician for most of my life. From a young age, I loved to sing and listen to music. My first performances happened at home, in moments of inspiration - I would sing from the top of the staircase in my childhood home, "

I began taking private piano lessons at the age of 7, and then learned to play the flute at age 12 in my school's band program. This is when my interest in music grew into a passion. I started listening to jazz music, specifically Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie and Charles Mingus, and began playing the electric bass in the school jazz band. From that point forward, bass became my primary instrument and interest. At 14, I started playing the Upright Bass and joined my high school's jazz big band. I attended jazz camps in the summers and I took private lessons on electric and upright bass. Once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to pursue music as my career. I played in jazz combos, youth orchestra, and community college big bands throughout high school. 

I am eager to teach students the principles that will allow them to play music with confidence. You will develop your unique sound through strong technique and learning to play music you love. You will learn to "use your ears" to understand harmony, learn songs, and improvise in your favorite styles. You will become the musician you want to be, with time, practice, patience and joy in the process!

Do you want to learn to play bass guitar? The bass is an instrument that is essential to pop music, rock music, blues, funk, disco, and jazz. The bass is usually the lowest sounding instrument in a band, which makes it the "heartbeat" of music. Whe you decide to take bass guitar lessons, you will learn what makes the bass special and why its an important instrument in every band. You will learn how to play bass lines in different styles, and how to read music that is written for the bass. You will learn how to practice, which means I will give you music to listen to, to read, and to play every day at home between your lessons. Practicing is the most important part of learning to play an instrument, so practice needs to be fun, rewarding, and something you do every day!

You will learn to play the bass by reading music, learning scales and chords, practicing rhythms with a metronome, and learning songs by ear. You will learn how to sit and stand while playing the bass, as well as specific left and right hand techniques that provide more variety and style to a given genre of music. You will need to purchase your own materials for lessons, including sheet music, instruments and accessories.