Vince Rillera has been immersed in the world of music throughout his entire life. From growing up inside of a musical family, he began playing piano as early as 7 years old before starting the Alto Saxophone in 4th grade at age 9. From there it progressed to playing percussion in junior college (Diablo Valley College) before finding his voice on Bass Guitar, all while pursuing his interest in production and audio engineering.
In 2008 he received his undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University (SFSU) in Music Education and began teaching at Rockin' Robbie’s East Bay music in the summer of 2009.
His style of teaching is unique since he has been on both sides of the musical spectrum; from learning music by ear and performing all genres of popular music, to studying classical scores and being a member of the SFSU Orchestra, it has helped him to create a method that synchronizes both. By fusing popular music with the concepts of both classical and jazz, he provides each student with their own unique learning experience. To this day he continues to perform, produce and engineer professionally on a regular basis and hopes to continue a life full of music for many years to come.
About
Teaching is something that took time for me to fall in love with. After receiving my degree in 2008, it took me about a year to begin focusing on teaching as I held on to this fear of being the boring music teacher that students hated to go to. Growing up I often heard horror stories from many peers about their parents dragging them to lessons every week, and I knew that I did not want to become that person. I wanted to be the guy that students loved to come and talk to. The teacher that students never wanted to stop learning from, or the teacher that students felt that they could come to about anything. I’ve had teachers like that in my life before, and the things I learned from them along the way have made a tremendous difference in my life. I wanted to be that person for some one else.
Once the opportunity arose for me to become a music teacher I came to the realization that I would never become that guy if I never gave teaching a shot. I had to start somewhere if I was ever going to become that person. So in June of 2009, I took on my first teaching job at Rockin’ Robbies/East Bay Music and have been teaching ever since.
One of the primary components with my style of teaching is to bridge the gap between 2 main styles of playing and learning. On one hand you have the more traditional approach of learning which involves reading written music, while on the other hand you have the more unconventional method of learning by ear. Both require a different skill set that when coupled with the other help the student to understand the music at a deeper level. Learning to read music is very similar to learning a language and therefore you have to be consistently interacting with it on a daily basis. Learning by ear, or by what my father calls “the-electric-type-writer-method,” where you memorize the pattern of playing notes, forces you to rely on the order and sound of the note(s) in succession. Equate this process to having your grandmother show you how to cook spaghetti vs. reading the recipe out of a book. Both require skill, patience, and time with similar outcomes, but different processes. I also like to put a lot of attention on technique so that students develop good habits from the very beginning and won’t have to digress later on in order to continue with their craft. And for those that are comfortable with their instrument I always like to work on music theory to tie everything together. All of these things, blended with a fun and inviting atmosphere help me to impart the joy and passion that I have for playing music to others.
Philosophy
I had been wanting to put my daughters in piano lessons for a while, but I was very picky about it. I took traditional piano lessons as did my sons and I knew I wanted to go a different route with my girls. I had considered Vince years ago but he only had in-person lessons that were pretty far from us. Once he moved to virtual lessons, I knew that was the right opportunity and jumped on it.
My 2 daughters (then 8 and 15) started taking virtual piano/music lessons with "Mr. Vince" March 2020. In just over a year's time, I've seen them progress quite a bit. They are both playing pieces, reading music, and developing their love of music. So much of that has to do with Vince's practical approach to teaching. He engages them as individuals, demonstrates an infectious passion for music, and is very positive and encouraging, while also challenging them and holding them accountable.
I highly recommend Vince as a music teacher. He has a formal musical education, he has been a gigging musician for most of his life, and he plays multiple instruments which gives him a very broad view of music. Most of all, he loves teaching and sharing his love of music with others.
Chris and Maria
Testimonials
We enrolled our daughter at the beginning of the pandemic. We knew that she needed an activity to keep her busy. Vince was offering classes over Zoom and it was the perfect opportunity to enroll her in his piano class.
Vince is an amazing teacher who is committed to bringing out the best of his students and finds ways to make lessons relatable to their interests. I can see my daughter growing more confident in playing the piano with each lesson.
Jessica and Jovi
Our son took trombone and piano lessons with Vince for over 7 years. Not only did Vince share his expertise in musical technique and theory but was able to do it in a caring and approachable way.
He had the ability to identify our son’s needs and worked towards his strengths. Vince was a role model and offered guidance in music and in life. He shared his passion for music as well as the importance of responsibility.
Debra and Garrett
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Finding a music teacher that relates well with kids was just as important as finding a music teacher who knew how to teach music. Vince fits the bill on both fronts. Not only is he incredibly versatile musically but makes the process fun. I often hear my son giggling in the other room in between chords during virtual lessons.
Thanks to Vince my son has increased his love for playing cello, and gained confidence after having mastered a difficult piece. I appreciate that Vince likes his job and likes kids too. Can’t recommend him enough for any of the MANY instruments that he can teach
Annie and Soren
Not only is Vince an excellent musician, but he is an amazing teacher as well. He is highly educated in music, with years of training, skill, and experience under his belt. Even while on Zoom, his teaching method is thorough and instructive, and he is always keeping my husband and I in the loop on what my daughter has worked or needs to work on. From week to week, he has kept my daughter interested and motivated to build her skills playing the piano. She now loves to practice every day, without even being asked to!
He has such a wonderful way with children, enthusiastic yet gentle, and my daughter always comes away from a lesson with the biggest smile on her face. He is always professional and personable. He is very intuitive to my daughter’s needs, and pushes her when she needs the challenge, but is also extremely patient with her if she’s had a rough day.
I feel very fortunate to have him as my daughter’s music teacher, and I highly recommend him as an instructor, at any level.
Janice and Rylan
Vincent Rillera of Real Era Music has been tutoring my 16 year old daughter since she was in the 7th grade. We felt she needed more one on one learning than the public school education could give her. He's helped her with breathing exercises, scales, order of scales, circle of fifths, jazz music, classical, school recital practice and auditions, music to learn at each grade level/course selection. He's instructed her on an alto, tenor and even baritone saxophone. He's taught her virtually how to play the flute and clarinet. I still have on my computer the recording session he did individually with each one of his students when we met at Rockin' Robbie's, in Concord, for lessons. Vince holds annual Winter concerts at a venue in Concord, Cue Productions. He's asked for her input on music choice, practiced, performed with, recorded & produced additional music scores for these concerts.
During the pandemic he has become a lifeboat for my daughter. He has reliably shown up every week. Vincent is her routine. Her normal. He asks how she's doing. He gives advice. She enjoys their sessions that she is still taking, even with a gap year from school music. That's what I, as a parent, appreciate most about Vince, his accountability. He delivers consistently with my daughter through mentoring both musically and as a positive role model.
Melchia and Thalia
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