About
I provide high quality guitar lessons to motivated students. I have a masters degree in classical guitar studying under a Grammy winning artist and have won several national guitar competitions. What sets me apart from other top classical musicians is my commitment to exploring other genres. My musical journey started in rock and blues before shifting towards jazz and finally classical. I have been teaching private lessons and group classes for 6 years. I give my students the solid technical and musical background that they need in order to forge their own musical journeys.
Bachelor of Music '13 - Music Performance, Rowan University
Masters of Music '15 - Music Performance, Cleveland Institute of Music
Stroud Classical Guitar Competition and Festival '15 - First place
Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival - Fellowship recipient
Rosalia Ablan Award for Outstanding Musical Development '15
I love getting through to a student. Whether its hearing them make a beautiful musical gesture, watching them understand a difficult rhythm for the first time, or just seeing them nail a chord change for the first time, I get such a feeling of satisfaction that makes me love my job. I also really enjoy working with lots of different types of people. Each student brings something different to the instrument, and its one of my great joys to help them realize their musical dreams on the guitar.
Reviews
Guy D.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I meet the student where they are. Its important for me to get a sense of what the student wants to achieve in music, whether its just to unwind after a long day or if its a real desire to become a complete musician.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a Bachelors and a Masters degree in music.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
For Skype lessons - $35 for a half hour, $55 for an hour.
For Travel lessons - Base price same as above, but may change depending on how far I need to travel to get to your house/apartment.
How did you get started teaching?
In my undergraduate I spent a lot of time mentoring students who were also in my program of study. Other students would come to me for advice and I would almost always end up giving them full lessons on whatever they were working on. That was when I realized my passion for teaching music.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have taught complete beginners, both adults and young children, intermediate players who play for fun, advanced players in university programs, advanced players who are professional musicians and other guitar teachers looking to improve their playing.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I was working with my beginner/intermediate student on an arrangement of Pachabel's Canon in D. I was describing to him how each part of the music needs to sound like the instruments that the piece was originally written for. As we worked, I could hear the music come alive piece by piece and I could see the lights turn on in his head.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Watch videos of the teacher before you begin and make sure they can actually play! Also, degrees really do make a big difference. You don't just learn how to play better in a degree program, you also learn how to teach better.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Its important to be realistic about how much time you're willing to commit to this. I'm happy teaching students who are not very commited as long as they are up front with me about what they want out of lessons. Guitar playing can be a fun hobby or a fulfilling life-long pursuit or anything in between. Its up to the student to decide what they want guitar playing to be for them.