Are you...
A parent looking for quality guitar instruction for your child?
An adult who is trying to figure out the best way to get started with the guitar?
A guitar player or musician feeling stuck on how to develop new skills or improve your current abilities?
Beginners and Kids
A lot of people try to learn guitar but quit pretty early on. It’s hard for people to find a way to learn guitar that ensures that they actually build skill, but that's also satisfying enough that they want to stick with it long term. Lessons in my studio provide a clear, stress free path for improving on the guitar, so that playing music becomes a valuable and enjoyable addition to one's life.
More on guitar lessons for kids
More on guitar lessons for adult beginners
Click here to contact me directly for more information about guitar lessons. If it seems like you or your son or daughter may be a good fit for my studio, we can discuss scheduling an introductory session to get you started and learn more about lessons. There is no obligation to commit to lessons after the introductory session.
Advanced Guitar Lessons
You may have arrived at my site through my personal instagram guitar page, where I post clips of music I am practicing as well as the occasional video lesson. In addition to working with many children and adult beginners in my studio in Jamaica Plain, I also work with many advanced level students across the world through my online programs. Many of my local students who are more advanced players work with me through these programs as well. More information at the link: programs for advanced players.
If you are an intermediate or advanced player who would like to discuss taking lessons with me, click here to get more information about the guitar lessons.
More on Guitar Lessons for Kids
Kids need the process to be fun and rewarding in order to get hooked. Otherwise, they just don't get into it! Over the years I've come up with a lot of different methods for getting kids as young as 5 years old to keep making great progress with the guitar, year after year, and stay motivated and excited the whole time.
Guitar lessons for kids in my studio are about building musical skills while also enjoying themselves, and being part of a great community of other young guitar students. We try to find the right balance here of having fun while making sure there's real progress happening, so that lessons aren't just playtime or hang time, but they also aren't so serious and rigid that kids get turned off altogether.
We use technology a lot - programs like soundslice allow kids to practice at home and play along with the sheet music and audio playback right in front of them. With soundslice, kids can change the speed of the song so that it's at a level that's easy for them, and make it a fun goal at home to work up to the full speed. We often custom make soundslice files for whatever songs or pieces we're working on in the lessons, so students have interactive material to work with in between lessons that's made to be just at the right level for them.
If you'd like to get more information about guitar lessons for your son or daughter, click here. I ask parents to share some information about their child, and if I feel they might be a good fit for my studio we can discuss setting up an introductory session to get started. There is no obligation to commit to regular lessons after the introductory session.
See also: group guitar classes for kids
More on Guitar Lessons for Adult Beginners
Adult beginners are usually concerned that they won't be able to actually play guitar; that they don't have enough talent, that it's probably too hard, their hands are too big/small, etc. Learning guitar is a process and it really is easy to get to that point of being able to play a few songs and nice melodies - it just takes some patience and following the right steps over time. It doesn't take tons of natural talent and it doesn't take two hours of practice every day.
If you are an adult beginner (or aspiring to be!) you can get over that rough beginner's hump and start playing some real music. I start beginner students with simple pieces and activities that I know they can play, and gradually make things more advanced through steps of small, manageable victories.
If you'd like to get more information about guitar lessons for adult beginners, contact me here. If it seems like we may be a good fit to work together, we can introductory session to get started. There is no obligation to commit to regular lessons after the introductory session.
See also: group guitar classes for adult beginners
Small Group Guitar Lessons
We teach many small group guitar lessons and guitar classes. While group guitar classes are usually thought of as short beginner courses we offer ongoing group playing opportunities for all different ages and levels. Even some of our most advanced students take their lessons in a group format, getting the opportunity to put their skills to use with other players in real time. Young children get to learn guitar in a fun environment where they make friends and get to play music together with multiple parts.
Group classes can be fun and motivating, but these classes also provide great preparation for actual performance! This is often advantageous (and more enjoyable) to just sitting with a teacher one on one and going over exercises.
In my studio we use special methods for group guitar teaching that allow for mixed levels in the same class: everyone gets material to play that is right for their level and allows them to play along in the class and be appropriately challenged. I know new students are often anxious about playing with others, but in these classes nobody ever has to worry about holding the class back, or being held back by others.
Contact me here to get more information about group guitar lessons
Specialties and Genre
I teach folk, pop, rock, blues, and jazz guitar, on both electric guitar and acoustic guitar.
My instagram page shares some of the music I personally like to play and practice, which is often focused around modern improvisation techniques, but I teach a greater variety of styles than what is shown there, including more conventional blues, rock, and jazz playing. For beginner students, I focus on popular styles of guitar playing.
I offer advanced jazz guitar lessons and can help jazz guitarists improve their performance abilities, problem solve weak areas, or prepare for auditions for schools and other programs.
I do not offer classical guitar lessons, but I do incorporate some classical methods to my instruction in other genres. I also do not offer guitar lessons specializing in metal, though I am familiar with many of the techniques and do incorporate some of those techniques into my instruction for other styles.
If you have a niche stylistic interest I would suggest contacting me and I would be happy to discuss whether I can be of help.