About Leila

A forever Oregonian and local to Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge, I’m a professional percussionist with a passion for marimba. Music has personally transformed my life in numerous ways, like getting me through some of my hardest times while gifting me with lifelong skills that I carry in my everyday life. Through my work and my career, I’m on a mission to leave the world better than I found it, and music and community are two of the avenues I use to make that possible.

Some highlights from my musical resume:

  • I hold a Bachelors of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. I graduated with honors, receiving the “Best Undergraduate Performer in Percussion” award alongside my diploma.

  • While I only have a Bachelors degree on paper, I was treated as a Masters student throughout my time there. I studied closely with world-renowned marimbist Dr. Pius Cheung and local percussion legend the late Dr. Sean Wagoner.

  • I’ve competed and performed nationally and internationally, at times playing with some of the greats like Keiko Abe and Mark Ford.

  • I’ve also taught alongside some fantastic percussion educators like Alan Keown, Matt Keown, Zohein Sharma, and Jeff Bush.

  • I have been teaching throughout Oregon and SW Washington for over 18 years, focusing on private lessons, chamber music, marching percussion, musical pit orchestra, solo and ensemble, youth orchestras, and more. Some schools I have worked with:

    • Grants Pass High School

    • Sherwood High School

    • Sheldon High School

    • Westview High School

    • Skyview High School

    • West Salem High School

    • Sherwood Middle School

    • Highland Park Middle School

A young woman with long brown hair, smiling, wearing a blue lace dress, holding four colorful mallets with purple and blue felt heads, standing behind a marimba.
Group of young people taking a selfie at an outdoor music event, with painted faces featuring red, green, and black stripes. They are smiling and seem excited. In the background, there are more people, tents, and vehicles.

About Leila’s Pedagogy

A student learning percussion from me will likely have a favorite instrument or class of instruments (like drums or keyboard percussion). However, I believe that a fulfilling education on any of those instruments requires an education on both. While working with me, students will learn the fundamentals of music theory and musicianship through the many instruments percussion has to offer, allowing them to explore their interests along the way.

Through music lessons, students will learn:

  • Music Theory Fundamentals (scales, reading music, counting rhythms, etc.)

  • Sightreading (the ability to play music you haven’t played before)

  • Percussion Technique (for mallets, drumsticks, and other instruments and beaters)

  • The Art of Practicing (how to learn music and practice effectively)

  • Playing Music with Others* (in the case students are also studying chamber music or enrolled in music classes)

  • Goal Setting

While not required, many of my high school students often choose to find outlets to compete or showcase their efforts through events like solo and ensemble (district and state). This is a valuable way for students to get out of their comfort zone with music, set and achieve musical goals, and experience something new while gaining invaluable feedback from educators around the state.

Available Instruments for Lessons

Two red drums on stands, one taller and one shorter, placed on a carpeted floor in front of a black soundproof curtain.

Snare Drum

Includes fundamentals of orchestral drumming with the possibility of studying rudimental drumming if desired.

Close-up of a marimba with wooden bars and black mallets resting inbetween keys, only showing the mallet heads.

Keyboard Percussion

Includes marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, and others.

A multi-percussion setup featuring drums of various sizes, cymbals, and a music stand with sheet music inside a concert hall with rows of empty red chairs and large arched windows.

Multi-Percussion

Includes the study of works involving more than one percussion instrument at a time.

A view from a set of timpani looking out at a concert hall with musicians and music stands.

Timpani

Includes the study of orchestral and solo/chamber timpani playing. Requires access to a facility that has timpani available for use.

Recent and Upcoming Performances

Aerial view of a crowd of people gathered at an indoor event, standing in lines or groups, watching a young woman perform on the marimba.
A group of people in costume posing for a photo on stage, with a colorful abstract backdrop. Some individuals are dressed as construction workers, others in casual or fantasy costumes, and one dressed as a wizard with a golden plunger on the floor.
A person wearing headphones and a black T-shirt playing a marimba in a recording studio with audio equipment and a window showing people in the background.

Some Videos

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