Private lessons with top Classical Guitar instructors near San Francisco, CA

Jesse began studying guitar at the age of ten, and in his studies has developed an unwitting passion for playing and teaching. Bay Area native Jesse has studied with classical guitarist Angel Miguel Lejarza Leo, flamenco guitar virtuoso Jason McGuire, and has worked under the mindful instruction of classical guitarist Nicholas Goluses at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York. There Jesse completed his Bachelors in Music (Classical Performance) with distinction, and was honored with a Performer’s Certificate, demonstrating excellence in guitar performance. During his undergraduate studies, Jesse performed in masterclasses led by the prestigious GFA winner, Tengyue Zhang, and Bach expert, Paul Galbraith. His time at Eastman has given him a strong background in music theory; he is an advocate for the written and aural analysis of music, and stresses the importance of composition and instrumental exploration. As a performer and teacher, Jesse specializes in flamenco and classical guitar, though he offers instruction in a variety of genres including: folk, blues, fingerstyle, pop, rock and rumba, to name a few. As a theory educator, Jesse covers theoretical concepts dating as far back as the Baroque, and addresses concepts of harmony and improvisation that overlap with aspects of jazz and contemporary music.

I studied Classical Guitar in College, and played in the Guitar Ensemble for 5 semesters. Continue to use the instrument more these days for Flamenco, Brazilian and Jazz, but still love Classical Repertoire and technique. A big thing I like to impart to my students, is to have fun with the process, give time for the technique and level of expression to develop, and seek progress, not perfection.