Private Lessons & Coaches in Pinole, CA

Derek is an experienced musician and sound designer with many years of music education experience. He holds a Master’s degree in Music and brings a strong academic and practical background to his teaching.

"“I’ve been wanting to continue my learning of ukulele and guitar. Derek is such a knowledgeable and patient teacher. I love how he breaks down the understanding of music theory and composition. I’ve had other guitar teachers that have taught me how to copy music tabs but Derek is really great in explaining the why of music!”

I'm a creative engineer and educator‬‭ with 12 years experience across college instruction, software engineering, and machine learning (AI) research. I was rated the #1 instructor for 4+ years‬‭ with overwhelmingly positive feedback from‬‭ 300+ students‬. I've created and taught courses‬‭ in data structures, algorithms, data science, programming, and software development tools. I'm an expert in helping students gain a deep understanding of and intuition for challenging computer science concepts.

I translate 50 years of studio wisdom into clear, practical music production lessons. I combine technical mastery, songwriting sensibility, and patient pedagogy to help producers at every level realize professional-sounding recordings with a warm, encouraging approach.

I’m an MBA-trained business leader, educator, and AI practitioner who helps people use artificial intelligence with confidence and purpose. My lessons focus on practical skills like prompting, research, content creation, workflow automation, and choosing the right AI tools for real-world goals. I tailor each session to your experience level, whether you’re opening ChatGPT for the first time or looking to integrate AI into your career or business. You’ll leave with useful skills, repeatable methods, and a clearer understanding of what AI can and cannot do.

I am an ordained Zen priest. I came to San Francisco from England in 2000, and spent fifteen years in residential zen training, including five years of monastic practice at Tassajara. I have been teaching formally for fifteen years, and guiding meditation for more than twenty. I love the formal rituals of Zen, but am also interested in reaching people who will never set foot in a Zen temple. These days I lead meditations in a variety of settings, and lead mindful hikes all over the city.