Our Teachers
Excellence, Fun, Convenient
EPS Piano Teachers
Proudly Serving Convenient Piano Lessons to Southern California
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Eric Rinehart
Principal Instrument: Piano Secondary Instruments: Saxophone, Euphonium, Guitar, Voice Location: Fountain Valley Studio Music has always been interwoven into my life. I was born and raised in the Napa Valley to a 5th generation piano family. 10 minute piano sessions would be sprinkled in between my races on Mario-Kart.
Throughout middle school and high school, I continued to be involved with music of all varieties; trumpet in bands, saxophone in the jazz ensemble, and euphonium with the World Champion Concord Blue Devils. In college I pursued a Biochemistry degree, and loved expanding my scientific mind, but finally discovered my true passion in piano. It BECAME my thing which is when I decided I would devote my life to music and education. With roundabout fashion, I returned to the Napa Valley after college graduation in June 2015 to get serious about my piano career. At present, I am happily teaching piano and growing a fantastic community of fellow teachers to share the magic of music because I believe great art can change the world. |
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Kelly MacLaggan
Principal Instruments: Piano and Voice Location: Coastal OC and Long Beach My love of music began at home where I watched my dad spend every evening sitting at the piano after dinner. As the youngest of four who never wanted to miss out, I found my place playing alongside him soon enough and it’s that same passion for music that my dad shared with me that fuels my own love of teaching now. Nothing is more thrilling or exciting than seeing the joy of music sparked in someone else!
My dedication to teaching is rooted in my own love of learning, which began with piano lessons and school band and has continued well into my adulthood where I am continually seeking out new instruments and education to further develop my musicality. I have an Advanced Diploma in Songwriting from Hillsong International College in Sydney, Australia and recently spent 6 weeks in an intensive study of flamenco guitar with Joaquin Herrera in Barcelona, Spain. My education and travels have afforded me the opportunity to perform in arenas around the world, meet my heroes, and work in production on award winning albums. I know the power of not only a personal love of music, but just how far it can take you in life! It’s my honor to share that same opportunity with each of my students right there in the same place it began for me—the piano in the living room. |
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Ai Vo
Principal Instruments: Piano Location: Coastal OC and Long Beach Ai Vo is currently studying at CSULB with the faculty in the piano department to earn a B.A. in Music with a concentration in piano. Ai began her studies in piano at the age of 5, and is currently continuing her studies under the private instruction of Dr. Samuel Grodin.
Outside of academic endeavors, Ai began private violin study at the age of 15 under the instruction of Khanh Hong Nguyen, director of the Vietnamese-American Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. She often collaborates with other musicians and music ensembles. Ai works and performs as the main pianist, organist and choir director across multiple different church organizations. As a prominent feature of church services, this leads to Ai's frequent exposure on channels such as VBS television, the world’s largest Vietnamese network. She especially enjoys sharing her love for music, running several prominent music social media accounts, amassing a total of 250k followers. With her platform, she hopes to inspire more people to learn and experience the joys of music. |
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Yitong Ding
Instruments: Classical Piano Performance
Location: Coastal OC and Long Beach
Instruments: Classical Piano Performance
Location: Coastal OC and Long Beach
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Yitong Ding began studying piano since the age of 4 in his home country of China. He is a junior at CSULB as a piano performance
major. He is a recipient of a Cole Scholarship and a Keyboard Foundation Scholarship. Yitong is a student of Dr. Shun-Lin Chou, and has previously studied with Professor Manami Kawamura in Pasadena City College. He has performed under numerous capacities, including solo, collaborative, and various chamber ensembles. He was also a member of the PCC orchestra. In 2017, he won exceptional awards including PCC Concerto Competition, first place in Bertrand's Old Town Music Award for Piano Performance Scholarship Competition, Franklin Tzeng Piano Award for Excellence in Music Studies, and the Collaborative Piano Award in Honor of Betty Dandy for Excellence in Music Studies. Yitong attended the 2019 Credo Music summer festival in Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio for further chamber music study. In his first year studying in CSULB, he was chosen to perform in the Conservatory showcase, and won 2nd place in Beverly August Piano Competition. He has performed in master classes taught by Stewart Gordon and Angela Cheng. |
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Justin Highland
Instruments: Classical and Jazz Piano
Location: Coastal OC and Orange
Instruments: Classical and Jazz Piano
Location: Coastal OC and Orange
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Justin is from Denver, Colorado and has been playing piano since age 6. He received a BA in Classical and Jazz Piano Studies from MSU Denver and loves nothing more than sharing his passion for music with others. He has over 28 years playing and 10 years of seasoned teaching experience, much of which has been with kids.
He strongly believes in helping his students have fun and realize their fullest musical potential, with lessons being tailored to the individual student. Having perfect pitch, he specializes in ear training and improvisation, modern piano styles and advanced music theory. Justin mentored with Classical pianists Tamara Goldstein and Peter Friesen, as well as critically acclaimed jazz piano greats Art Lande, Eric Gunnison, Peter Martin and Dennis Hamm from the grammy-winning band Thundercat. His originally composed jazz EP received world-wide radio airplay on Denver’s own 89.3 FM KUVO jazz radio station. He teaches all levels and all styles including Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Blues, Gospel, Latin and Contemporary piano styles. He also teaches beginner acoustic and electric guitar. Having spent time in both the Denver and Los Angeles music scenes over the years being involved in multiple bands and recording projects, Justin is a versatile and adaptable keyboardist, composer and educator who loves teaching students of all ages and levels. Outside of music he enjoys chess, golf and traveling. |
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Jessica Gordon
Instruments: Piano, Voice, Masters in Music Production
Location: Cerritos, Rossmoor, Los Al
Instruments: Piano, Voice, Masters in Music Production
Location: Cerritos, Rossmoor, Los Al
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After graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior, I decided to pursue a career in conjunction with my passions and work towards getting a Master’s degree in music.
My passion for music has translated into an aptitude for learning and integrating concepts and ideas related to music as demonstrated by my success in musicianship, music theory, performance, and composition classes at Saddleback College. Previous work at the UCI Early Childhood Education Center have helped me to develop strong communication skills with both parents and children. I am excited to combine my experiences to help every child learn! |
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