Mak brings a broad range of music experiences and a depth of expertise to Resound NW. They believe music to ultimately be a lifelong collaborative process, and often brings this collaborative spirit into his lessons with students. Mak sees teaching as a practice in reciprocity: for example, in asking his students to set aside time to listen to and build their relationship to music outside of lessons, they are frequently bringing new artists and sounds back to Mak that he may not have found on his own. His sessions are fun and encouraging, using everything from Bach to Billie Eilish to illustrate his lessons.
Mak has been fortunate enough to work with students of all ages in a variety of settings. They originally began teaching while studying piano performance with Dr. Jody Graves at Eastern Washington University. When he first moved to Portland, Mak started as a lead teacher with a local music studio and soon moved on to managing his own students in piano, voice, and beginning guitar. Some of Mak’s students have been working with him for 12+ years.
Mak is known throughout the Portland Metro Area for his extensive career in music direction and performance, particularly in musical theatre. They have served as the Musical Director, conductor, or performer for nearly every music theatre in the area, including Fuse Theater, Lakewood, Oregon Children’s Theater, Stumptown Stages, Bridgetown Conservatory, Broadway Rose, Staged!, the Funhouse Lounge, Triangle Productions, and Northwest Senior Theater as well as a number of local colleges, universities, and high schools. Mak also has experience singing, directing, and accompanying choral music across the Pacific Northwest. He has also plugged into the local pool of Portland music through psychedelic grunge to circus-jazz scenes, and is currently the founding music director for the queer-forward neo-soul collective, Kiki’s Delivery Service, led by Resound NW student Kimo Camat.
Mak is delighted to join the esteemed lineup of teachers at Resound NW. To book a lesson with them, use the button below. Pronouns: He/They