Tag Archives: music lessons

Board, chamber music, chamber music, Chamber Music, Faculty, People, Piano, Theory and Composition, Viola, Violin

Tara Flandreau ——– violinist and violist

Fourth-generation San Francisco native and long-time Marin resident Tara Flandreau is a violinist, violist, composer/improviser, and conductor.  She graduated from College of Marin and Dominican College, earning Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, and did doctoral work at Columbia University.  Tara has an extensive career as music educator and performing musician. She was chair of the Music and Performing Arts Departments at the College of Marin for many years, where she taught music theory and composition, ear training, strings, computer music notation software,  chamber music, and conducted the COM Symphony Orchestra.  Currently, Tara teaches string lessons and chamber music classes at MCMS, and plays in the ECHO Chamber Orchestra and the Marin Symphony.

Besides classical repertoire, Tara enjoys playing a wide variety of music, from performing at the Monterey Pops Festival recreation of the entire Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper Album, to a SF concert series celebrating the 100th birthday of composer John Cage.  She has performed and recorded with many improvising orchestras and free-jazz musicians.  Among her compositions is a short opera about SF eccentric Grimes Pozikov, the “Human Jukebox” who performed songs on his trumpet in a phone-booth sized box at Fisherman’s Wharf during the 1960’s – 1980’s..  

Tara has also created an extensive music theory resource website called  www.musictheoryteacher.com which has helped music students from around the world to better understand music theory.

Faculty, Guitar, People

Joe Marquez, Guitarist and Recording Engineer

Joe Marquez has been teaching guitar for 15 years, specializing in rock, pop and country. “I like to make lessons fun first, and I enjoy helping beginners gain the skills and confidence they need to experience the thrill of performing and composition.” 

As an artist Joe has placed songs with major label recording artists Cher and Wasp, earning gold and platinum records. His credits also include winning the John Lennon song writing contest for “Hang up Your Halo Tonight.” 

Joe worked as a recording engineer at Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati, where he recorded, mixed and played banjo on the 1992 Grammy winning Tom Waits album “Bone Machine.” He has engineered projects for Greg Allman, The Doobie Brothers, Dick Dale, Guy Clark, Ted Nugent, and the Melvins among others.

He specializes in teaching beginning and intermediate guitar and welcomes players of all ages. He is a father of two and shares his love of music with his family. When his daughter Madeline was 3 years old they recorded their first song together called “Bluebird of Happiness.” Joe also screens songs for the West Coast Songwriters Association and produces music for TV, commercials and film.

Board, Drums, Faculty, People

Sean Nelson, Drums/Percussion

Sean Nelson

Sean Nelson attended the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music Jazz Studies Program under Bob Brookmeyer in Holland, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Berklee School of Music. Since moving to SF in Fall 1996, Sean has had 24 years of professional teaching experience in the greater SF Bay Area, at the Community Music Center of SF, Marin Country Day School, and New Village Music. He joined the faculty of the Marin Community Music School in 2018.

In addition to being a teacher, Sean is also a professional musician performing in many different musical settings with a wide variety of musicians and groups. During his professional drumming career, he has shared the stage with many fine players and composers over more than 30 years playing drums professionally. 

In his lessons, students will get a well-rounded approach to drumming and drum set playing. They will learn the four fundamental drum strokes and the 26+ standard rudiments which make up a great deal of the language of drumming. They will study stick control exercises and snare drum reading fundamentals. They will also study drumset coordination using the rhythm concept of CLAVE (the rhythmic “key”) present in almost all music that has drumming and dancing.  Students will learn about the different rhythmic characteristics of style in music like Jazz, Rock, Funk, Afro-Cuban, Blues, New Orleans 2nd Line, Reggae, etc., and how to make beats and play songs. And we will also practice how to improvise, confidently creating rhythm in the moment and expressing our ideas on the drums.

Faculty, Guitar, People, Piano

Tommy O’Mahony

Tommy O’Mahony is a professional musician and educator with 15+ years of experience in playing and teaching. A Marin native and graduate of the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley with a Bachelors Degree in music, Tommy has experience teaching music theory and ear training as well as several instruments. In his instrumental lessons, he can teach specific playing techniques or just help you learn songs – on bass, guitar, piano or ukulele. Tommy welcomes students of all levels and ages.

Tommy O’Mahony