Written notes are like a map: they tell you how to get from point A to point B but they don’t describe the beautiful scenery that you'll experience during the journey. Music happens between, around and beyond the dancing dots on the page.

Me

My journey with the piano is also the story of my life. I began taking lessons in elementary school and the first memory I have of performing in front of an audience was in elementary school, being called out of class and asked to perform for the school PTA. I continued taking lessons through high school and as an undergraduate in college.

I am a University of Washington grad and completed A.A., B.A. and Master of Music degrees under scholarships and graduate teaching assistantships. My major instrument was the piano.

I had the opportunity to perform in USO shows as an vocalist and keyboard player during my time in college, allowing me to visit Hawaii, Guam, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Diego Garcia, and Vietnam. As a member of Frank Pooler's choir, I had the opportunity to sing backup vocals for The Carpenters.

I am a professional New Age composer with over 120 million plays on Pandora ("Richard Dillon" radio). My CDs are available for sale on iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon.com.

Lessons

My lessons include reading, technique, music history, interpretation, ear training and theory.

I accept children, adults, and preschoolers and have experience working with students diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD.

Each student is unique and I plan lessons accordingly.

Why Me?

While I have three degrees in music, I took additional classes required to become a certificated music teacher. There is an art to teaching music and this art is based on an understanding of how the “music” brain works. (I created a music curriculum based upon the sequence of musical skills acquisition and cognitive development for my thesis.)

I am a certificated special ed teacher. This gives me insight when working with students who learn differently.