About
I want students to excel the fastest they can on guitar. Though I know it is important to let students learn at their own pace, I will never cease to challenge them through difficult pieces or exercises. I will develop plans and keep track of progress so that students and I can stay organized and ensure the learning is fluent. I will direct lessons based on what the student wants to learn most and what genres of music they are interested in. I also change the structure of lessons based on how the student learns. The basics I want students to learn from my lessons are basic chords, fretboard knowledge and music theory, finger-picking styles, pick and strumming techniques, left-hand techniques, and most importantly I want to teach students how to listen. I will train students ears through ear training exercises and songs. I firmly believe the better the student’s ears can get, the better the musician they can be. Besides just teaching songs, I want students to understand the theory, technique, and meaning behind those songs. I can teach advanced students in jazz, but am able to teach beginner to intermediate levels in styles of rock, blues, classical, and pop, and more.
I love watching students grow to their fullest potential. I love being part of students' journies to becoming a better musician. Teaching can be very challenging as it requires me to provide material for students that is all together interesting, achievable, and directional. This always depends on the students, so I am constantly thinking about how I can be the best for individual students. I love working, thinking, learning, and making music, all of which happen when I teach students. So although the job is challenging, it is very meaningful to me.
Highlights
Payment methods
Specialties
Musical styles
Guitar style
Has instrument
Years experience
Able to read music
Lesson length
Student's age
Photos and videos
Reviews
John H.
Philip C.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I always try to learn what style of teaching works best. I certainly want to know what type of music the student likes if they have a particular genre that is special to them. I've typically found that students learn best if they are working on multiple aspects of the instrument such as technique, musicianship, theory, chords, and repertoire, rather than focusing on one partiular aspect such as a song that is too complicated for the particular student.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Music has been a big part of my life since I was a child singing in musical theater. My passion for music led me to pursue a music degree at California State University, Sacramento. Throughout my time there I have learned a plethora about pedagogy, theory, musicianship, music history, composing, and arranging that I can use to help my students. I started to pursue guitar seriously in high school when I fell in love with a particular genre of music: jazz. Studying the techniques and theory of jazz musicians became my goal in high school, but as the as the years went by, my love for all types of music expanded. As a result, learning other genres of music has made me a more well-rounded musician. Every day I strive to become a greater musician by expanding my repertoire, improving my technique, improving my ears, and gigging locally as much as possible. I often get the opportunity to often play locally with various jazz groups. I am a relaxed person, but I never stop aiming for excellence. Though I don’t want to be a burden to my students, I always try to push them to challenge themselves.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Yes. I typically charge $20 per 15 minutes, so that would be $80 per hour for my lessons.
How did you get started teaching?
I teach because I am convinced that music has power to communicate ideas and feelings that could not be explained through words. Any student wanting to be the communicator in the experience should be encouraged to learn how, and my goal is to help that student grow to their fullest potential.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Students should know why they want to learn. They need to have inspiration. They need to know that learning something new takes an incredible amount of determination. If may be very fun at first, but it will become grueling work eventually if they want to see progress. Coming back to the inspiration to learn will be refreshing after learning something for a while.