GRATITUDE AND REVIEWS:

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A very gifted instructor. I have been taking lessons from Mark for over 4 months now. I really enjoy the classes. Mark is very consistent and  patient. He never gets upset or critical, other than to tell you what  you are doing wrong, which I appreciate.
I have learned a lot and on my way to playing some conventional music.  The hardest thing to me has been learning the techniques of playing 2  different keyboards with different hands. Mark uses melodies and  exercises to allow for the development of the techniques required. It  really makes learning the accordion unique in that regard. Training your  hands, your ears and your brain is challenging but fun and Mark is the  best teacher for this by all means.

Mark is among the most caring, inspiring, and engaging instructors with  whom I've worked (and I've studied with quite a few, having earned a  PhD. in music composition).  He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music, production, and technology.  As well, he's quite a talented musician. Most importantly, Mark values and honors the aims and creative  contributions of his students.  His intent, truly, is to make you better at what you do. To that end, I can't think of a better instructor.

Mark V. was great. He knew how to keep class fun and engaging. He truly cares and teaches piano in a way that is intuitive and can be applied to more than one instrument.

I've taken several lessons from Mark and he has taught me harmonica basics and the "secret" methods of the great harmonica musicians. The  lesson time flies by so I know I'm enjoying his teaching expertise. My harmonica playing ability has improved 1000% with the help of Mark!

I like Mark's approach in teaching, he gives a lot of useful information within the time of the lesson, and it keeps me busy until the next lesson. I love the classes!

Mark is an amazing instructor. He is a master at Pro Tools and has fun, intuitive memory tricks to help you navigate Pro Tools efficiently and effectively. Not only is he great at Pro Tools, but he has a lot of experience in all facets of music production. He certainly has a lot of interesting anecdotes related to any of the music topics at hand.  He is extremely knowledgeable, yet he breaks down complicated concepts into something that anyone can understand (and more importantly remember). I  really enjoyed the time I spent with Mark. I strongly encourage you to sign up for lessons with him. You'll learn not only about the topic at hand, but also gain an interesting perspective on things you wouldn't have thought of before.

Mark has been an excellent teacher. Although I haven't played the accordion very long, my steady improvement, following his lessons, has been very enjoyable. I can feel my confidence building as well. I'm  looking forward to continued progress with Mark.

My nine year old son was very excited in his first class and liked Mark's method to teach music. We are looking forward to this wonderful experience.

Mark is the best at what he does. I took a Pro Tools class with him and left feeling like a master. His hands-on teaching style is unbeatable.

Phenomenal experience. Mark is not only a consummate expert when it comes to Pro Tools, he is a highly skilled teacher, extremely professional, and a great guy. As someone with  a PhD and a background  in teaching and instructional design, I know something about effective teaching and Mark is truly a cut above--organized, patient, engaging, articulate, focused, helpful, illustrates his points with colorful  anecdotes, offers useful ways of remembering the information... Mark, thanks for sharing your knowledge as well as your enthusiasm for Pro Tools.

Mark is a fantastic teacher. His lessons run from deeply technical to deeply spiritual. Thanks to him my eyes have been opened to the grace of Pro Tools, and I feel confident with my new found skills to step out  into the post production world.
 

Thanks Mark!

Mark is an amazing instructor. His knowledge, skills and understanding combined with his patient and warm demeanor makes learning a pleasant  experience. You'll learn multiple aspects in Pro Tools including: shortcut commands, signal flow, plug-ins, mixing, editing, midi, recording, melody, sound designing, industry work flow...Lessons are informative, creative, and fun by injecting humor whenever possible. Thanks again, Mark, for sharing your knowledge.

Mark is very knowledgeable regarding the Accordion-----knows it like the  back of his hand.  He helped me identify a problem with the accordion  that I purchased, as a used musical instrument, giving me ideas on how to  address the problem with the seller. I personally like the man and  expect him to be a very good teacher. Mark has a set system for imparting musical knowledge regarding the  accordion, but he allowed me to interrupt his lesson so that I could  make sure that I was getting what he was attempting to impart to the  unskilled listener. I have been provided with a few concepts to practice, in anticipation of  our next session. He has a great deal of confidence that I will get  it-------hopefully he is more right about this than I am.  Yet, this is  only lesson two and I have set up this new learning experience so that I  am only chewing on small bits of the new learning materials a time. He knows his stuff and is patient with newbies like me who know less  than nothing.  He knows what he wants to get into your head and how to gt it there------sooner or later.

Mark has been my teacher, mentor and friend for almost 10 years now. It all started at The Los Angeles Recording School where he was the instructor of my class, Digital Audio Essentials. I attended the school to further my skill sets as an electronic dance music producer/songwriter and synthesis programmer. My mission was/is to broaden my classical and musical pallet (musicianship) with music theory and play fluently (intuitively) on the piano. Mark heard me out and continues to provide  priceless knowledge which guides me in the direction of success. I see immediate results. It is amazing what you can learn in 1 hour. The teaching does not stop at just piano or music theory -- I ask questions about anything music or audio related and receive rich insight (synthesis, sound design, philosophy, tech, workflow, arrangement, song feedback, mixing, mastering, and composing, etc.)
 

After I graduated school, the education continued, and I started to take  Piano/Composition/Songwriting lessons in his studio (The Synatarium).  That was when my skill set and knowledge skyrocketed.
Not only that but his studio is INCREDIBLY inspiring to just sit and look at, if you are a gear fanatic.
 

I realized that learning music is a constant evolution and I will always be improving and raising the bar.
 

Most of all, Mark works with you and not for you. He tailors the  curriculum custom to an individual's visions, goals, personality, schedule and teaches you knowledge you can apply immediately.
 

I would recommend this teacher to anyone!

I have been in the "music business" and performing for more than 50 years. I started performing and recording in 1964. In 2005, I moved to Beverly Hills and wanted to build a digital studio. I had produced only in analog and had a very minimal knowledge of computers. When I decided to go with Pro Tools, I called friends that had already produced many hit projects on that system. Although they had their own creative knowledge and "tricks", as teachers they left me more confused than capable. Then, one day, a member of Tupac's crew called and, upon hearing my problem, recommended me to Mark.
Right away Mark advised me as to which components would become  compatible with the studio I had in mind. The gear he recommended back then remains 

"studio standard" quality today.
Mark, patiently , began with the basics. First he taught "troubleshooting" and "keyboard commands". I learned to "back-up" and protect my music. Eventually I could use all the moves I learned to maneuver creatively through recordings. In sessions, problems occur, and, amazingly I can handle most of them. When I can't, I can always call Mark. That alone is invaluable. We have remained friends for over 15 years, and now that it is time to upgrade my system, Mark is still the one person whose advice I trust .

Mark took the time to introduce me to the accordion and gave me some basic exercises to practice until our next lesson.  I am excited to practice and build up my confidence with this instrument.

I really appreciate Mark's teaching ability. He breathes music and makes it easy to understand. I wasn't expecting to make that much progress or to have that depth of knowledge of music or my instrument in only 5 lessons. He gives a lot and he is eager to respond to my questions. I  recommend Mark as an accordion teacher.

Mark makes the lessons intuitive and easy to follow. The lessons are varied, and he builds skills into each lesson with fun and  helpful methods.        

Mark is a great instructor with a very intuitive approach to teaching music. He guides the student in understanding how music works rather than using rigid "play your scales" type of instruction, though he can do that if you prefer. He's very patient and explains each concept thoroughly. If you want to make progress quickly while also enjoying the instructional session, choose Mark. You won't regret it.         

Mark's passion for music and teaching really comes through in his lessons. He is patient and clear with his instructions. He always makes it fun and inspires you to  have a passion for the instrument too.

I really like Mark! He is a very good teacher and he is also very fun. :)        

Mark has been awesome. I came into the lessons knowing nothing about the  accordion. He is able to break it down into something easy to  understand for me. Learning a song already! I am super happy to be  learning from Mark.

         Mark is a great teacher!        

Mark was great! Huge help for my project!        

Great Lesson! 

Appreciate it a lot, Mark.

     Knowledge!