James R
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Soul, Punk, Avant-garde
James R
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar
Styles:
Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Soul, Punk, Avant-garde
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 7-80
Bachelor Degree: Berkeley
I'm a dedicated and seasoned music professional with over a decade of road experience performing all over the US and Canada, and two decades of teaching experience. I have opened for top international touring acts throughout the 2000s, and worked with a who's who of NYC avant-garde musicians in the 2010s. In my time I played every small club, VFW hall, dive bar, and festival from Montreal to South Carolina and from New York to the Rockies, as well as some of the most historic music venues of the United States.
I began teaching in High School once my skill on guitar and bass had surpassed my band teacher; I was tasked with teaching the 3 bass students and 2 guitar students in the program and preparing them for the end-of-year performance. From there I began an odyssey spanning two decades working with students from 7 - 60+ and from beginners to advanced players. I have taught bass and guitar as a way to keep myself engaged and playing/learning even after retiring from touring, and have been lucky enough to have some of the greatest students a teacher could ask for!
My instruction method is to assess each student's experience, ability, and goals on guitar, bass, or songwriting/composition, and tailor my instruction to the individual skill level and needs. I take a song-centric approach, and introduce or reinforce techniques using songs that feature that technique or musical concept as a way to keep students engaged beyond rote memorization of scales, patterns, techniques, etc. I also use a song-based approach as a way to bring in theory and a deeper understanding of the whats and whys of music, while still focusing on the fun of playing using songs that the student wants to learn.
I believe in allowing each student to decide their level of engagement with music. While some prefer to simply learn the basics of an instrument, others want to delve into more in-depth musical concepts and theory, and no one approach in more relevant than another. I look to show beginning or growing musicians the feeling of accomplishment that learning a new piece of music provides. Through exploring the songs and music that a student is most engaged with, as well as classics in a variety of genres, students gain a sense of how theory and/or techniques craft the music they love and know and that they, too, can create music that might one day be studied by future students.
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