Hi, my name is Yuval and I'm an English teacher from California, the United States. I grew up in Israel but moved to America at a young age, where I eventually got my teaching credentials through TEFL, the internationally acclaimed 'Teach English as a Foreign Language' academy. I've taught English privately here in California, and in late 2019 I taught all over Uganda to students of all ages and all levels of English. I am proficient in five languages; English, Hebrew, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and KiSwahili. Besides languages, I'm also a classically trained pianist, specializing in jazz a…
Hi, my name is Yuval and I'm an English teacher from California, the United States. I grew up in Israel but moved to America at a young age, where I eventually got my teaching credentials through TEFL, the internationally acclaimed 'Teach English as a Foreign Language' academy. I've taught English privately here in California, and in late 2019 I taught all over Uganda to students of all ages and all levels of English. I am proficient in five languages; English, Hebrew, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and KiSwahili. Besides languages, I'm also a classically trained pianist, specializing in jazz and improvisation. I've taught piano privately both in person and on zoom, though recently I've switched exclusively to zoom due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I've performed in private events and bars as a solo pianist as well as with other artists in collaborations, and played in ensembles including the Stanford University Miles Ahead Big Band.
My personal teaching methods differ between English and music. Studying and conversing in five different languages has allowed me to reconsider how a language is most effectively taught, and I try to emulate it through how I teach English. I try to focus on the grammatical rules of English and, having covered them, I encourage my students to speak as much English as they can during class, because I'm a strong believer that conversation and practice are the best ways to memorize vocabulary and master new aspects of the English language. I also try to adjust my lessons and style of teaching as to best match the student, but in general I enjoy working with students of all levels, from beginners to those who already have been exposed to the basics.
My method of teaching piano revolves heavily on encouraging students to find their individual style and explore every aspect of the piano and what they can do with it. We will use scales and a combination of exercises in all keys to build up an initial virtuosity and to get comfortable with fingering chords and playing the basics, and I try to incorporate a mix of classical music to build up technique as well as jazz, to learn to improvise. I always ask my students for their own musical preference so that I can incorporate the students' own favorite songs and styles into our repertoire.
If you are interested in English language lessons or piano classes, please don't hesitate to get in touch. My Zoom piano classes are completely virtual; I use an overhead camera to give the students a clear visual of what I am doing on my piano and a second, front facing camera that we talk through.
I am currently living in California and moving to Brazil soon, and excited to learn about your country, your culture, and your beautiful language :)
Teach me a few words of Portuguese throughout our class !