Guitar Lessons in Stow, MA

Instruments: Guitar

I have been teaching privately for over ten years. During my time at The Berklee College of Music I took classes in pedagogy, and every teacher I have had the pleasure of studying with has functioned as an invaluable model for how to teach, and the many different ways to articulate and illuminate the nuances of playing the guitar, and playing music. I also have experience teaching large and diverse groups of students and have worked as a clinician at music festivals and music camps such as North Hampton, MA's 'Django in June' where I was hired to teach in 2009, 2010, and 2012. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass

I've been playing professionally for over 18 years and have had the pleasure of being able to tour the country playing music. I've also had the opportunity to travel toEgypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Curacao, Canada, Mexico and Cuba to perform. I've lived and been able to immerse myself in two fantastic music cities, New Orleans and Memphis, both of which have had a profound influence on my playing. I like playing many different styles of music and have been in bands that played rock, jazz, funk, blues, soul, reggae, pop, country, and americana. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I start of my lessons by asking how much the student practiced for the week. Then I ask them if there was anything that was confusing for them so we can work on that first. I let the student pick what they want to start with first and then I will pick the next exercise. I finish with giving them a homework assignment and making sure they understand what to practice for next week. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students I prefer to use either Alfred's, Mel Bay, or Hal Leonard method books. I generally stay away from method books that use guitar tablature because I find that student will prefer to read the tablature instead of standard musical notation. Tablature is a good way to easily show how guitar parts are played, but is not useful when teaching standard notation, music theory, harmony, etc. In addition to using a method book, I will also teach the student popular songs, which is a great way to start teaching chords and song structure in addition to keeping the lesson fun and the student engaged. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Conga Latin Percussion Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Individual classes are always going to become personalized since thats the time when you can really focus on your own goals which pretty much vary as much as people do so i would have to say that my approach would depend on what the student wants to get out of the instrument and what he/she wants to learn. An understanding of the fundamentals is usually wise so i always encourage the students to take a more dogmatic approach to the instrument since thats what has worked for me, now being that said it would't be the first or last time that we see a guitar player master his instrument by ear like we've seen with greats like Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson and B.B King so to restrain a student from a more popular approach would be naive and time has taught me to mingle in both styles of learning since either way it is required a lot of discipline and practice. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

Hi there! Im Matt H., a guitar and piano teacher in Watertown, Massachusetts. I was mostly self-taught growing up, playing around on instruments and making music on my computer, before formally studying music at Bennington College where I focused on composition and earned scholarships as a top music student. Since then Ive played guitar, piano, and even a little mandolin in various bands and projects in the Boston area. After a few years I started to focus more on teaching while starting a family and spending some time as a stay-at-home dad. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Though each student gets a lesson plan that is catered to their individual needs, I start everyone off with these three questions: Which musical artists do you listen do? What do you like about their music? What are your goals with taking lessons? I use this information to teach the student how to play some of their favorite songs, how to write similar music, and how to use my lessons as a means of achieving their musical goals I have found that doing so results in faster results, and increased motivation. Read More