Chris, BM, MT-BC, found his passion for music as a child and his love for teaching soon after that. He began learning music playing trumpet and continued on to study guitar, piano, ukulele and voice over the next several years. He began teaching music in high school, taking advantage of community opportunities to work with children of varying abilities and disabilities. With a growing love for music and teaching coupled with a desire to do something important with his music, he planned on music education as a career. However, while touring colleges, something happened that clarified his focus. After speaking to the head of the music therapy department at Loyola University in New Orleans, Chris discovered music therapy and how it was used to help students/clients reach non-musical goals. It was at that point that he knew that music therapy was the intersection of both his desires and talents.
Chris earned his Bachelor's of Music in Music Therapy, and subsequently his national Board Certification in Music Therapy (MT-BC) . Not long after, he saw a job posting that included both music therapy and music education. Having grown up in San Jose, he was happy to find a job that could facilitate his gifts and passion, and after rigorous clinical and technical interviews was happily awarded the position. Chris is a great fit partly because of his versatility. Not only does he have wonderful experience serving clients on the autism specturm and other special needs, but he also enjoys teaching even the youngest students ages 1-3, and has also completed his specialized training to teach the full Early Music Awareness program.
Engaged to his high school sweetheart, Chris' hobbies include hiking, cooking, exploring YouTube and dog training.
In addition, Chris currently teaches an online class for children with special needs and their moms in conjunction with Parents Helping Parents.
Teaching Style
Naturally creative in his approach to teaching, Chris is not afraid to have some fun with his students in order to engage them as they learn. He is patient, encouraging even the tiniest steps of improvement, but at the same time gives clear direction to the learning process. He has a cheerful personality balanced with a sensitivity to each student's learning syle that helps motivate them to succeed.
Instruments
- Trumpet
- Voice
- Piano
- Guitar
- Ukulele
Teaching Locations
- 352 So. Baywood Ave. Annex 95128
- 510 Lawrence Expressway 94085
- 1121 Koch Lane 95125
Testimonials
"My son really enjoys the session with Chris. Chris is very creative in designing music
therapy for kids with special needs. He is also very flexible and adaptive to adjust to
the kids’ behavior and mood on any given day. Chris makes his sessions fun for the kids
to let them pursue their interests and at the same time he is able to establish clear
boundaries which assure that the sessions are productive." ~ Shelia Z.
“Chris is an excellent music teacher whom my daughter absolutely adores. They are currently doing a music survey and they love to go though lists of instruments to explore. He is very patient and has an excellent demeanor with kids. My daughter says, “It’s fun to be with him!”. She enjoys her music class so much that we are not only adding more lessons, but making them longer. We can’t wait to do more lessons with Chris.“ ~Stephanie A.