I am 35 years old, and have been a musician for over 25 years. I began, like many, playing in my middle school band. I attended a Performing Arts School throughout my high school years, where I studied Classical and Jazz Guitar, Music Theory, Ear Training, and many other facets of music. I also studied privately with various guitar instructors, most notable Kyle Hildenbrand, a Berklee grad and film scorer for Universal Studios. In college I also took education and psychology classes which have proven very helpful in my approach to teaching.
I have performed in many ensembles and bands, playing both cover songs and writing original music. Blues, country, hard-rock, and even a jazz quartet. Currently I write for and perform in a folk - rock trio.
Playing in so many different circumstances, has been very beneficial working as a teacher. My students are all very different, not only in the way that they learn but also in the style of music they wish to play. I take pride in being...

Andrew is an active musician and professional educator. In 2009, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Pittsburgh. Since then, Andrew has taught guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, drum, and rock/pop ensembles in both school and private settings. In addition, he is passionate about writing, playing, and recording original music. He is the primary songwriter, producer, and co-manager of an original band that regularly performs in venues such as World Cafe Live, Grape Room, Trocadero, etc.

I am a husband and father of 3 girls [Elaine, Grace and Emma]. I studied Music Performance with a concentration in Classical Guitar at Eastern University, where I met my wife Allison who currently teaches Voice and Piano with Take Lessons. I just recently received my Honorable Discharge for 8 years in the US Army and work at The University of Pennsylvania in the School of Medicine. I am currently taking classes at the UPenn to finish my degree in Music Composition.

I'm very easy going and patient. I focus on technique and music reading skills rather than building repertoire. I would rather a student that is confident in their ability to play a few songs to a high standard than an unsure student that can play many to a lower standard.

As far as my own musical interests, I love classical guitar and the folk/singer songwriter genre. Artists I listen to regularly include The Swell Season(Glen Hansard), Gregory Alan Isakov, Iron and Wine, The Milk Carton Kids, Simon and...

Ever since my mother played the Beatles on her stereo when I was very young, I have always been attracted to music. This attraction morphed into a passion when I started taking piano lessons at age eight. I soon moved to Cello and then Guitar, which I consider my primary instrument in terms of proficiency and expression. In high school, I expanded my musical boundaries even further by playing guitar in one of the school’s jazz bands as well as playing percussion in the symphonic band and playing both snare and bass drum in the marching band. I decided that I wanted to pursue music as a career, so I majored in music education at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University. I not only learned many methods and strategies involving music learning theory, but I also improved my overall musicianship and understanding of musical theory. I also sang in the Pappert Chorale and played guitar in the Jazz Guitar Ensemble. I studied guitar under both Ken Karsh and Mark Koch...

A professional musician and music instructor for over 30 years, Mike has established himself as not only a world class player but also an excellent teacher of all ages and skill levels. He teaches for several area conservatories and hosts master classes on composition, performance, guitar and bass improvisation. Mike now offers lessons in his professional home studio.

I have a lot of experience playing in a variety of settings from solo and ensemble classical guitar, funk, R&B, jazz, rock, jam, and pop. I received a guitar performance degree from Towson University in Spring of 2012 and have been teaching since 2008. I feel comfortable teaching all levels and all styles of music with jazz and classical guitar being my specialties.

With twenty years of playing behind him, Mike is a graduate of the B.A. in Jazz Performance and Masters in Music Education programs at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

While Mike excels in certain genres – rock, classical, jazz, funk – he believes that musicians shouldn’t limit themselves to any one genre. Mike will help you to become a true musician, and find your place in any style of music.

Mike has been playing in rock and jazz bands since the age of eleven, in 1998 touring Europe with a jazz band as part of the American Music Abroad program. Since then Mike has performed in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia, as well as in the UK. He is passionate about performing, teaching and theory and also has experience in sound recording and electronic programming.

Hey Students and Parents!

I've been performing and studying music since I was 8, and I can honestly say that music is my life. Music has changed my life in so many ways, and few things give me more joy than sharing that with others.

I've been teaching for six years and in that time have seen my students admitted to some of the country's best music schools. My specialty is keeping lessons exciting, fun, and soulful, never losing sight of the feelings that drew us to music in the first place.

Learning to play an instrument well is challenging, and sometimes frustrating. But having been through rigorous conservatory training myself, I know how to tackle most technical and musical challenges in a streamlined way so that my students can progress quickly and consistently.

I teach all styles and levels of guitar, beginner and intermediate drums, beginner piano, songwriting and composition, and computer music production. When I'm not teaching I'm either gigging with several...

I started taking music very seriously in middle school when I began guitar lessons at a local music shop. I was inspired at the time to learn all of my favorite Beatles songs as well as the punk music I was totally obsessed with. At the time I was fortunate enough to have been learning from a college educated musician Dr. Mark Cook, director of Composition and Music Theory at Shepherd University and Gerry Kunkel, Guitar chair at Maryland University. My passion for music grew exponentially from this point on and I spent the next years playing in as many ensembles as possible in school as well as my own bands with friends, a chance for me to work on my own compositions. As my drive for music increased I began taking lessons for other instruments including piano, trombone, and voice. This constant practice and dedication to the study of theory eventually resulted in my acceptance to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia to study jazz guitar performance.
At UArts my exposure...

I received a Bachelor’s of Music with a concentration in Jazz Guitar Performance from Temple University in 2008. Although my focus was on Jazz, I also play and teach many other styles of music including Rock, Blues, Folk, Classical and Funk. Aside from teaching lessons and performing with various projects along the east coast, I also compose music for films and produce/record other musicians and bands.

Because of my background as a performer, composer, producer and educator, I feel that I have unique qualifications to give the student a well-rounded understanding of not just the guitar, but of music as a whole. By including a balanced mix of technique, performance, composition and theory, I hope to help students reach their full creative potential and to see music as not only a performance art, but as a mode of individual expression.

I have been teaching music for 16 years. I grew up on the 2nd floor of my father's music store in Central PA and have been around music my whole life. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of the Arts where I studied jazz guitar with Pat Martino, Jimmy Bruno, Steve Giordano, and Tom Giacabetti. I was one of the original teachers during the formative years at the Paul Green School of Rock Music where I later went on to be the Music Director of the Philadelphia and Downingtown Schools. During that time, I helped many students prepare and get accepted to music schools, ran and developed music summer camps, and organized concerts where the students performed the music of Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and many more of rock's finest band at every major venue in Philadelphia.

I have been active in the local music scene recording and playing sold-out shows at the Khyber, TLA, Trocadero, Johnny Brenda's and World Café Live with such acts as 722, Bebek,...