I specialize in piano and composition lessons for dedicated students of all ages and levels.
My students range from advanced competition winners to those who play for their own enjoyment.
Piano Lessons ->
<- Composition Lessons
John Syzygy has been teaching piano and composition to students of all ages for over two decades. He sees music as a powerful analogy for life itself, guiding students to not only become better musicians but also to discover deeper insights about themselves.
He achieves this through a relaxed, yet highly structured, learning environment where students cultivate new skills, practice efficiently, perform confidently, and gain a deeper understanding of theoretical and historical aspects of music.
His teaching philosophy is built on three core areas:
Creativity: Inspiring students to explore their own musical voice.
Critical Thinking: Helping them analyze music and approach challenges with a problem-solving mindset.
Learning How To Learn: Equipping them with the skills to become independent and lifelong musicians.
Through these principles, his goal is to inspire musical excellence and help students gain wisdom about themselves as their love for music flourishes. John's students are international award-winning composers and performers, and they are regularly selected to play at the annual MTAC Convention and local Honors Recitals. His studio is often full, and a waiting list is common.
Student Accomplishments
John's composition students have composed for ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, and members of the Palo Alto Philharmonic.
A sample of recent top prizes and honors for his students includes:
2025
Young Composers Guild
MTAC Composition Competition (1st and 3rd place wins for two of his students)
MTAC Improvisation Master Class
2023-2024
Luna Lab Composition Fellow
NFMC Outstanding Strings Composition Award
2022
YoungArts Award
Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Competition
ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award (Honorable Mentions for two of his students)
US Open Music Competition (Open Own Composition Category)
2021
NFMC Wilson Piano Award
Sounds New Young Composer Award (Honorable Mention)
MTNA Composition Competition
2020
Morton Gould Young Composer Award (Honorable Mention)
NFMC Olga Klein Nelson Award
MTNA Composition Competition
2019
ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award
US Open Music Competition (Open Own Composition Category)
Many have pursued music professionally and continued their studies at institutions like Berklee College of Music, Northwestern Bienen School of Music, Blair School of Music (Vanderbilt University), Mills College, Lawrence University, and the University of Michigan.
About John
Since 2011, John has owned and operated Play Music Studios in Cupertino, CA. He received his B.M. and M.A. in Composition from San Jose State University, where he was a two-time winner of the Eva Thompson Phillips Award for Composition. He has studied piano with Dr. Gwendolyn Mok, Dr. Laurel Brettell, Debbie Poryes, and Marc Steiner. His primary composition instructors include Dr. Pablo Furman, Dr. Brian Belet, and Dr. Daniel Wyman.