30+ years of student-centered instruction and Individualized support.

Oren S.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

I am passionate about student-centered instruction and have worked with many elementary aged students with Autism across different settings from school to the community, in one on one and small group settings. I am skilled at recognizing and teaching to different learning styles. I have worked for a number of Autism specific organizations: "ACAP - Autistic Community Activity Program"; "Bayside School" - an ABA program specifically for students with Autism. I was Program Manager at a day-program for individuals with developmental disabilities such as Autism

Composition (Music)

Influenced by Music from various cultures, and an interest in musical temperament throughout history, I went beyond traditional Western harmony In my composition studies. From Schoenberg's Tone Rows, to W.A. Mathieu's Chord Chains. These alternate views enriched my perspective of Western music. My final Thesis paper for Music Theory was entitled "The Restoration of Justice to Western Music", it explored the resurgence of Just Intonation among more contemporary Western composers such as Terry Riley, and one of my instructors, W.A. Mathieu who wrote the book Harmonic Experience. I would love to support any interest in the differences between Equal Temperament and preceding tuning systems such as Just Intonation, or Natural Tuning. I can also offer a slightly alternate perspective for anyone seeking to learn more about Western Music composition. My main interest while in school was the work of JS Bach, playing his flute & keyboard repertoire, analyzing his works for classes, and reading biographies for background. What he accomplished in terms of moving away from conventional harmony to counterpoint, and fugue, was profound in my opinion. From simple diatonic writing, to learning how to weave in and out of tonality, I'd love to hear more about what you would like to explore in the realm of Music composition, feel free to ask any questions.

Elementary (K-6th)

The graduate program I attended, actually called the Inclusive Elementary Educators Program, focused on this age-range. I have had recent experience in online instruction as well and enjoy helping students navigate technology as well as academics.

English

I am a native English speaker with 3 degrees. In addition to academic & scholarly writing, I also have extensive training and experience in creative writing, including a self-published poetry chapbook and many original songs.

Flute

The flute has been my primary instrument of creative self-expression for many years, it's the instrument I feel most intuitively connected to. After playing the recorder as a child in school, I picked it up again as a young adult when I would bring it with me on hikes to play improvised melodies in the wilderness. This led to an interest in the Native American Style flute which I have been playing since 1995 when I received my first instrument as a gift from my Mother. This ignited a passion that led me to the silver flute which I initially taught myself and began playing long tones on each note and scale patterns all around the circle of fifths. The first style of music I took to was Blues and Jazz - Herbie Mann was my first big inspiration and influence. I connected with a teacher who was trained in both Jazz and Western Classical music, studying with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ransom Wilson, he advised me to work on the flute sonatas of JS Bach as a way to develop technique - this music commanded my attention and sparked a passion for studying classical music. I spent a few years playing nothing by JS Bach's sonatas for flute and keyboard obligato...I went on to complete a BA in flute performance with a focus on Western Classical music, my recital was in 2009 and featured a sonata from JS Bach, a duet from Mozart, and a contemporary work from Olivier Messiaen which is used as a test piece at the Paris Conservatory - La Merle Noir. I also play the Bansuri bamboo flute, used in classical Indian music. I studied privately with Manose Singh and work out of the textbooks from the Ali Akbar College of Music. For anyone wishing to study this type of music, I offer an introduction to the rich tradition and theory of North Indian Classical music, Raga.

General Music

My background in Music is broad, influenced by Music from various cultures, and an interest in musical temperament throughout history, I went beyond traditional Western harmony in my composition studies. From Schoenberg's Tone Rows, to W.A. Mathieu's Chord Chains. These alternate views enriched my perspective of Western music. My final Thesis paper for Music Theory was entitled "The Restoration of Justice to Western Music", it explored the resurgence of Just Intonation among more contemporary Western composers such as Terry Riley, and one of my instructors, W.A. Mathieu who wrote the book Harmonic Experience. I would love to support any interest in the differences between Equal Temperament and preceding tuning systems such as Just Intonation, or Natural Tuning.

Guitar

I taught myself the basics of acoustic guitar as a teenager about 30 years ago. While completing my BA in Music, Guitar studies were included. Since completing my BA in 2009, Guitar has been my primary instrument. I specialize in folk-styles, fingerstyle, and can support you in writing your own songs.

Music Theory

BA Music. Final thesis paper on Temperament throughout history.

Reading

I have successfully supported struggling students of all ages and all skill levels in both basic phonics and reading comprehension. I had extensive training in best-practices to support reading skills while in Graduate School, including work samples which focused on this area.

Songwriting

While completing my BA in Music between 2005-'09, I also took Music Therapy & Guitar courses, this kindled an inspiration to begin writing my own songs. This led me to dive deep into the works of Bob Dylan, from song-lyrics to bios and his autobiography, naturally he became my primary influence as far as songwriting goes. It can be a mysterious process, somewhat dependent on the 'ever-elusive muse'. But, through borrowing some ideas from the field of Music Therapy, I have discovered techniques to help breakdown the process into tangible components, and help connect the songwriting process to one's personal experience. In addition to writing lyrics, I have also looked deeply into the emotional qualities of different chords to help select the right chord for the mood being created by the lyrics. It can be very cathartic to turn your experience into a song....

Special Needs

I have been working with children with special needs, mostly Autism and other developmental disabilities, across various settings, for 25 years. I studied Person-Centered Planning through The Learning Community and presented at the Annual California Gathering in 2015, and all my work comes from this disposition. My work is strength-based and highly individualized, I enjoy taking the time to get to know each learner I get to work with, to understand how they learn, what their interests are, and what inspires them, from there we make connections to academics. Please feel free to ask any questions about your support for your student.

Writing

I have always loved writing and have pursued both academic/scholarly writing & creative writing in my own life. I attended a Liberal Arts university for my undergraduate studies where writing was emphasized and expectations were high. On the creative side, I self-published a poetry chapbook in 2003, and have written many original songs.

Yoga

I have been practicing and studying different types of Yoga & Meditation since my teens, over 30 years. My specialties are Kundalini Yoga & Meditation, and Guided Breathwork Meditation. Kundalini Yoga is a practice which focuses on flexibility of the spine. It uses more repetitive movements than static postures, almost like calisthenics. The meditations use mantras along with hand positions - mudras, or movements. Some of my favorite sets to teach are the Basic Spinal Energy Series, and Kirtan Kriya - this is an evidence-based practice with recent research out of UCLA. The type of Breathwork I teach is a very accessible and powerful way to regulate your nervous system and brainwave patterns all on your own. Through intentional breathing we can shift ourselves into the Relaxation Response associated with the parasympathetic nervous system sometimes in just a matter of seconds. We can also slow down our brainwave patterns as they sync up with slower breathing patterns, this can bring us into a Theta state, or deep-relaxation. This is a practice that, when mastered, can be done anytime anywhere even while driving, without any intrusion for immediate stress-relief and grounding. Breathwork Meditation, or Pranayama, is one branch unto itself on the eight-limbed path of Yoga. I focus on teaching deep-breathing techniques, as well as "rhythmic breathing", or simply adding a count to the inhale and exhale. Deep-breathing is also known as diaphragm-breathing, or belly-breathing. When we are not in the habit if breathing deeply, our breath stays 'shallow' in the chest. This tends to keep us polarized in the sympathetic nervous system and fight/flight response which leads us down the road of many other potential health problems. The particular method which I like to teach is a type of 'Humming Breathwork' which is based on an evidence-based practice. The growing body of research shows the lowering of blood pressure, and the increasing of Melatonin production, along with other benefits. My work began