Berklee Graduate with two degrees in Music and a Conservatory diploma. I love teaching and I have been doing it professionally for almost two decades. I can teach any level and most popular genres, as I have been working as a session musician in Los Angeles and helped hundreds of students reach their goals for many years.

Learn how music is put together including chord scales, harmony, progressions to deepen your knowledge of music. Applicable to any style of music.

Tutoring in Contemporary/Jazz Music theory

I love music theory for it's ability to organize and clarify the rich and complex musical world, and I often find myself getting as excited about theory as I do about performance. I have studied traditional theory and jazz harmony as well as George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. I often use theory to demystify very many styles of music from pop and rock to classical and jazz to the exotic sounds of North Africa and Eastern Europe.

As a teenager, I learned to play figured bass on a harpsichord in baroque ensembles for many years. My knowledge is classically informed and branches out into every modern style. Harmony and music theory should be fun and enlightening at every level. It opens the doors to what are sometimes mysteries to our ears. It has enabled me to enjoy being able to play any piece I like by ear after only one or two listens. Understanding how music really works is very satisfying and I very much enjoy sharing that knowledge with my students and watching them become proficient in each discipline

Originally from Colombia, Juan has been a resident of New York City since 2008. His music blends classical, modern, and avant-garde elements. He draws from his experience as a recording and touring rock guitarist in Colombia and Miami, his studies of East Asian music, inspired by interaction with musicians and artists in China, Japan, and Indonesia, and his teaching practice. He recently released the album “Preludes and Etudes for the Guitar.” His composition “Reino Incierto” has been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Sounds of the City Concert Series in New York. His Three Movements for Guitar Quartet is included on an album of prominent Colombian composers titled “Entre la huella y el grito.” His guitar sonata Schwarzfahren is being published by Cristiano Porqueddu for Edizioni Curci. Juan earned a master’s degree in Composition from the Manhattan School of Music. He has recently studied classical guitar with Mark Delpriora. His mentors include composers Susan Botti, Reiko Fueting, and electronic music pioneer Joel Chadabe. He earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Florida, where he studied jazz guitar with Tom Lippincott and composition with Susan Epstein-Garcia. Juan is also an avid cartoonist, collector of rare books, and long-distance runner. *** Lesson Details *** Guitar teaching encompasses many disciplines. One has to be a bit of a psychologist in order to gauge a potential student's needs and musical sensibilities. The mathematical aspect of musical notation and rhythm makes us part mathematicians. In the end, there is also a self-actualizing aspect to guitar teaching in the sense that we are always witness to those moments that made us decide a career on music. During my years of guitar teaching I have encountered many types of students, and I have learned from them as much as they have learned from me as they make me question aspects of music that I would have never thought about. I have learned to not take for granted the definition of concepts such as rhythm and harmony, and to look at guitar technique from different perspectives as I find ways to accommodate to a student’s capabilities. Ultimately, it is also a job that requires a lot of planning and structure. My first step, generally, is to assess the student’s ability and interest to find material suitable for them. Then, I proceed to familiarize with the student’s musical tastes and sensibilities to assign practice material accordingly. For example, if the student is interested in rock or pop music, we will work on a particular song that fits his level and also solves a particular technical problem. During that process I will answer any of the student’s questions, and provide insight into musical terminology. We will also work on basic concepts of rhythm, melody, and harmony. My training as a composer and jazz guitarists also enables me to tap into the student’s creative side. In that case, we would start with a basic blues progression and blues scales, and work on the basics of improvisation or songwriting. *** Studio Equipment *** Basement studio w/ small keyboard, amp, acoustic guitar, 3 electric guitars, music books w/ seating for parents and lots of magazines! *** Travel Equipment *** I provide music sheets, students should have an instrument, tuner, paper, pencil, and a metronome. *** Specialties *** I teach fundamentals of music theory, principles of jazz improvisation, classical guitar technique and repertoire, song writing, pop songs, sight reading, and overall musicianship, as well as Jazz, Rock, Blues, Bossa Nova, and other Latin Styles.

I can teach beginner, intermediate and advanced classical and jazz theory. I cover topics such as key signatures, circle of fourths, heptatonic, octatonic and chromatic scales, modes of major, melodic minor and harmonic minor, diatonic transposition, triads, seventh chords, chord progressions, etc.

Being an active and experienced musician gives me the necessary knowledge to know what is needed on order to become a better musician. Also having over 20 years of teaching experience allows me to tailor my knowledge to the need of every particular student. I really enjoy to transfer my knowledge and solve the unique musical problem that every student encounter during their musical path.