Colin Sapp

I am an Associate Professor of Guitar at Berklee College of Music where I have taught since 2012. In 2020, I was given the Berklee Distinguished Faculty Award for outstanding teaching and leadership at the college. I was a faculty member at the Roland Hayes School of Music from 2008-2014 and the Guitar Coordinator at the Boston Arts Academy from 2000 to 2003. I have performed with many preeminent artists, including Blue Note recording artist Kurt Elling, Grammy award-winner Dave Samuels, pianist Aaron Goldberg, Backstreet Boys, Ally Brooke from 5th Harmony, NBC's The Voice contestant James Wolpert, and former United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. I have over 100 recording credits as a guitarist, engineer, and/or producer.

My influences are (in no particular order): Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Eddie Van Halen, Nuno Bettencourt, Joe Satriani, Randy Rhoads, Bill Evans, Charlie Hunter, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Jimmy Page, Ben Monder, Wayne Krantz, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Wayne Shorter, Sebastian Mueller, The Beatles, George Benson, Albert King, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Slash, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and so on...

I have a dedicated lesson space at my home in Natick, but also have availability in my Back Bay office at Berklee. Guitar lessons typically take place on Mondays and Tuesdays, but other days may have openings depending on the semester. I can travel to students' home for an additional fee.

Guitar Techniques: Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar, Fingerstyle, Performance, Improvisation, Jamming Skills, Reading Music, Music Theory, Ear Training, Scales and Exercises, Songwriting, Recording and Production, Guidance In Equipment Selection

Lessons are tailored to the individual's needs and goals. The first lesson involves a conversation about the student's self-assessment and goals. While hearing the student play, I assess what I feel their needs are and align them with what their stated needs and goals are. From there we discuss what course of action to take.

Lessons are tailored to the individual's needs and goals. The beginning of the lesson involves a short conversation about successes and challenges of the previous lesson's content. From there, the student will demonstrate their ability level with the material and I will make suggestions to help resolve any issues. The next part of the lesson involves introducing and working on new material. The final part of the lesson is to recapitulate to make sure the student understands the new material and what the expectations are for the next lesson.

The qualities I look for in an ideal guitar student might include the following: I fundamentally believe that students are teachers themselves when it comes to music learning. The most valuable type of music learning occurs when students explore, experiment, and create on their own using the information a teacher gave them. Therefore, the time that is most critical is in between lessons. There must be a significant commitment on the student's part to pick up the instrument as often as possible. A music teacher's role then, is to give musical and technical information, suggest refinements in a student's playing, and propose multiple approaches to concepts.

I'm fascinated by the creative process, so I love working on improvisation and composition concepts with students. I also enjoy all different genres of music, and I'm always learning more by listening to things that might seem out of character for me. One thing I've learned over the years is that flexibility is a great asset in the business. Therefore, the style of guitar playing a student is really into isn't a major factor to me; it's whether or not the music they make is truly communicating something meaningful to the listener in the best possible way