Private Lessons

In addition to my faculty positions at Berkeley’s Crowden School, the San Francisco Conservatory and the Kodály Center at Holy Names University, I teach composition and musicianship privately in my Oakland, California home.

Musicianship

Musicianship is the mastery of musical skills such as sight reading and the ability to absorb and write down what is heard. Thorough musicianship training is often overlooked, and the benefits of mastering these skills are immeasurable, whether you’re a rock musician, a choral singer, a singing actor or an aspiring classical musician. (More about musicianship)

My training includes several years at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary, where I was exposed to the Hungarian approach to musical education. Known as the “Kodály Method” in this country, and primarily thought of as a method for teaching young children, it happens to be a very powerful and intuitive approach for all ages and levels of musical sophistication. My musicianship students get the full benefit of this approach. (more about the Kodály Method)

Composition

Whether you are interested in writing pop songs, film scores or classical concert pieces, I help you to master the building blocks of composition: form, harmony, melody, counterpoint, etc. Depending on my assessment of your goals and existing skills, I may advocate focusing on counterpoint or sight singing, as well as your own work. I consider mastering these skills to be a prerequisite for composing any kind of music.

My particular strengths include text setting and writing for the voice, as well as various aspects of music for the stage. Students interested in these areas are especially welcome.

General Info

Teaching hours are flexible on weekdays, and I’m located in Oakland’s convenient and leafy Glenview District, convenient to highways 580 and 13. Please contact me via my Teaching Inquiry Form for more details or email michael.kaulkin@gmail.com.