A native Californian, Tyler Richards began studying piano at the age of eight. In his early years, Tyler completed several years of Certificate of Merit training before transitioning to saxophone during his teenage years. In 2020, he obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies with an emphasis in Piano Performance from San Diego State University.

 

During his studies he performed regularly in multiple ensembles, one of which traveled to Montenegro performing a week-long tour throughout the country. During his undergraduate degree, Richards shared stages with jazz greats such as Jon Faddis, Christopher Hollyday, Ernie Watts, and Kristen Korb while privately studying with American composer Richard Thompson.

Upon graduation, Tyler has devoted his efforts into personal study and music education. He has several years of experience with private instruction and he loves teaching in a group setting. His passion for growth
extends to the classroom where he focuses on building up students and helping them discover their own unique musical voice. Mr. Richards has experience in a multitude of genres by playing in many ensembles locally, but his core belief stays close to a classical upbringing with a strong theory approach.

Mr. Richards finds absolute joy in being able to spread the love of music to each student. One of his favorite quotes comes from Hans Christian Andersen who simply said, "Where words fail, music speaks."