Brian S
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Latin, Flamenco, Showtunes, Soul
Brian S
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Latin, Flamenco, Showtunes, Soul
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
Master Degree: University of Cincinnati, Master Degree: University of Cincinnati, Bachelor Degree: Albion College (Music Performance; Economics & Management)
I have had a long time interest in education, helping students of all ages and skill level. In Nashville he previously taught at the Nashville School of Rock and currently works for Vanderbilt University. As a freelancing musician diversity of skills is an important trait. I have primarily worked as a guitarist in live and studio settings, which in themselves are two different worlds, but have expanded to include audio engineering and production, drawing heavily from my background in theory and composition to make the best of each project I works on. While pursuing graduate school in Cincinnati, I was active as a teacher and performer around the city. I taught as a Graduate Assistant at University of Cincinnati in each of the Classical Guitar and Music Theory departments in separate years and also taught music lessons with several schools including Cincinnati School of Music, West Chester Academy of Music and Dance, and Music Makers of Cincinnati. Brian has a strong technical understanding of music. He has achieved a Master of Music degree in Classical Guitar and a Master of Music degree in Music Theory, both from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He previously had earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Albion College in Albion, Michigan, double-majoring in Guitar Performance and Economics & Management. I released a debut solo album, "Shape of Fire," on March 2, 2018, produced and recorded independently by in Nashville and mixed and mastered by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, etc.) at The Basement Recording in Winston-Salem, NC. As a solo artist Brian's main influences include rock music spanning The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Radiohead, Muse, Mastodon and The Mars Volta; European classical music from Brahms to Schoenberg; as well as the music of Latin America.
As a guitarist I have experience performing professionally with acoustic, electric, and classical (nylon) guitars, as well as banjo, mandolin, 12-string guitar, b-bender guitar, and ukulele. In Nashville, I have worked as a sideman and "hired-gun" with various songwriters, performing for both live and recorded music. He also works as a recording engineer, producer, and studio musician on several instruments. Freelancing as a performer I have played with many ensembles including extensive work as a theater musician. To date I have performed many of the major musical theater works that use guitar including Rock of Ages, Rent, The Who's Tommy, Grease, Hair, Footloose, All Shook Up, Ring of Fire, The Wedding Singer, and Hairspray, among others, and have appeared in multiple productions for several of these shows. As a classical guitarist, I have performed a variety of solo and chamber works. I have also appeared in masterclasses with many artists including Oscar Ghiglia, David Russell, Lukasz Kuropaczewski, Gaelle Solal, Daniel Lippel, Rovshan Mamedkuliev, and Michael Partington.
I have used many different methods over the years and will supplement any method book to meet the individual needs of the student. My preferred method for young students is the FJH Harris Young Beginner's Guitar Method series. For older students I tend to use either Mel Bay or Hal Leonard methods to teach the fundamentals and then add onto them with whatever suits the student best. For advanced students I prefer the William Leavitt methods from Berklee University Press, which will be a challenge for anyone!
I follow the interests of the student and allow that to guide the direction of our study. By trying to find out what inspires the student, I can successfully tailor my instruction to their wants and needs. This approach yields better results than forcing a student to stick to a certain method exclusively. I encourage students to divide their practice time into practicing fundamentals and technique, songs that teach them a certain concept or technique, and songs that they would like to perform or play for fun.
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