Music Education
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About Piano Instructor West Troiano
Born to the Redwood-laced coasts of Santa Cruz, California, West Troiano's musical journey began at age 7 with wonton improvisations on a low-quality keyboard discovered one year beside the Christmas tree. Self-taught for the first few years of his learning, West began jazz and classical piano studies under well-known Bay Area pianist Martan Mann at 9, and was tackling Chopin Nocturnes (and his own increasingly complex compositions) at 12.
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After some years of vacillation (during which, by his own admission, he was not always the best piano student), West committed himself to his music studies, completing his undergrad in the Musical Arts at Cal Arts in Southern California, and returning there for graduate studies. It was during this period as a graduate student that West discovered an affinity for music pedagogy. Upon moving to the Portland area in 2016, West began the process of building his own private teaching practice, honing both his teaching and musical acumen through years of working with dozens of students.
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In life outside of his educating and music-making, West is a devoted father and husband, a dedicated builder, DIYer, writer and visual artist, and a passionate hiker.
West's Music
Raised in a household of deadheads, studying classical and jazz from an early age, and sneaking Opeth albums in through the backdoor; the story of West Troiano's musical maturation is one of unconventional behind-the-scenes meetings between many different musical styles.
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Though predominantly a composer of acoustic piano and piano/vocal music, Troiano infuses his music with the essential traits of the many genres he loves. Soaring progressive rock drama meets cerebral, Bach-inspired counterpoint, while the colors of jazz and modern classical music shift in and out of the background. Gentle, autumnal arpeggiations collide with chord-slamming choruses. Heavily inspired by his early days as a self-taught improvisor, Troiano's works are often improvisation-influenced, or downright improvisatory, and he loves few things more than sitting down at the instrument and drifting away for an hour's-worth of improvisational adventure.
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Additionally, Troiano is an experienced composer of educational music, and regularly composes and arranges music for his students. A book series of piano study pieces may be in the works...