Years ago, my mother gave me an unusual gift: an appointment with a psychic. During the session, she told me with complete certainty that I was destined to become a teacher.
I dismissed it immediately. I pictured a traditional classroom with rows of desks and rigid lesson plans. That future felt completely disconnected from who I was at the time, and I moved on without giving it another thought.
Life, however, had other plans.
The Reluctant First Lesson
Nearly two decades later, I was in a relationship with a woman who owned a music school in Beverly Hills. She often encouraged me to teach there, and I consistently declined. Teaching was not something I was actively pursuing.
One afternoon she approached me again. A parent had called requesting piano lessons for their two children. My schedule happened to be open, so for the first time I agreed.
That single decision changed the trajectory of my life.
The students were a five-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother. From the first lesson, something unexpected happened. The experience was natural, engaging, and deeply enjoyable for all of us. They immediately enrolled in weekly lessons, and I watched them grow for years. The boy eventually left for college with a strong repertoire and solid understanding of music theory. The girl remains one of my long-term students today and has become an accomplished musician on both piano and guitar.
What began as a one-time favor quickly revealed itself as something much larger.
Finding the Flow
Within a short time, my teaching schedule expanded to sixty students per week across multiple instruments: piano, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, and bass. Remarkably, it never felt like work. Each lesson felt like a collaborative exploration of music rather than a traditional instructional session.
I witnessed firsthand that people of all ages and backgrounds were capable of learning quickly when the material was presented clearly. The role I had once rejected was beginning to feel less like an occupation and more like a calling. In retrospect, the prediction I once laughed at had quietly become reality.
Building The Music Lyceum
Eventually, my personal relationship with the school owner came to an end. While I continued teaching there for a short period, the situation became increasingly unsustainable. It was clear that the next step was to build something of my own.
I gave my notice and informed my students of my decision. In a moment that confirmed the depth of the work we had done together, every one of my sixty students chose to continue studying with me.
That decision marked the beginning of Music Lyceum in Santa Monica.
In my own space, free to refine my methods and observe how students truly learn, I was able to fully develop the teaching tools and visual approaches that would ultimately become the foundation for Piano Tab, transforming the way people experience and learn music today.
