Brendan

Brendan, MM, MT-BC,  is passionate about whatever he does. Music. Teaching. Kids. Performing. Music Therapy. Helping people. These are just a few of the things he loves. 

An outstanding pianist, vocalist, and  cellist, Brendan is competent on a number of other instruments, but he is passionate about sharing his gifts with kids. As long as he can remember, he has enjoyed and appreciated the way even the youngest children respond to a fun teacher. He first noticed his love for working with kids while teaching gymnastics and martial arts to children as young as 3 years old. (He is a second degree black belt too!) He is also passionate about helping people. After first considering a career in medicine, he found music therapy to be the perfect way to combine his love for helping others with his love for music.

As a result, after completing his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, Brendan went on to complete his Master of Music in Music Therapy followed by his national board certification. In addition to music teaching, Brendan has hundreds of hours of clinical experience with many special needs populations, but the majority of his clinical training and experience has been with students on the autism spectrum. This has equipped him with both the patience and the skill to share music with anyone.

He now fulfills both passions at The Music Place and Arts Educators group teaching piano, voice, cello, violin, and a variety of instruments while also serving a broad range of clients with special needs. In his personal time, he also enjoys leading Bible studies for young adults at his church. 

Fun facts: Brendan has performed with choirs at Carnegie Hall and St. Peter's Basilica in Italy, and in 2019, performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade with Gamma Phi CIrcus alongside singer/actor Billy Porter. (Brendan was a member of the circus during graduate  school). 

Teaching Style

Although many musicians with Brendan's high levels of skill are unable to relate to beginners and younger students, Brendan is the opposite. He is patient, encouraging and fun! He loves sharing his gifts in a way that imparts not only technical growth and development, but a life-long love for music.

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Instruments

  • Voice
  • Piano
  • Cello
  • Violin
  • Flute
  • Guitar
  • Dance

Locations

  • Willowhurst Ave (Main Office)
  • Baywood (Santana Row/Santa Clara)
  • Lawrence Expwy (Sunnyvale/Santa Clara)
  • Koch Ln (So. Willow Glen Almaden)

Languages

  • English
  • Korean

Testimonials

"It's people like you that make a difference, thank you for the work you do!  It means the world to parents and special needs students."
 
Collaborative therapist
 
"Brendan is a fantastic musician. He has a beautiful voice that he adapts very well to whichever situation he is in- large group, or individual session. He is a fantastic pianist as well and his accompaniment skills on guitar are excellent. He is great with assessing where his students are in the moment and he adapts to their needs. He is very observant when working with students and is great about anticipating how they might react and being ready to pivot and adapt. He is very creative and has come up with some great therapeutic activities for his students to meet their goals. He is also great with using technology (iPad and Smartboard) in his sessions. He is one of the most responsible and reliable interns I have had-- always punctual and always prepared."

Alyssa Graber M.M.E., MT-BC,  previous supervisor

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