Butler, NJ Guitar Lessons

over 10 years, including group classes and private lessons. Below are some of the goals in my teaching method and what students can benefit in every lesson:

- Explaining the structure of guitar and giving the basic information about the instrument
- Instructing students about both the basic and advance techniques in guitar playing
- Striking a fine blend of theory and practicality while teaching guitar playing
- Ability to understand the needs, short and long term goals of different students and changing the methods of teaching accordingly
- Preparing students for student recitals or public performances if necessary

I'm funny, friendly, outgoing, and love to play guitar. I’m also flexible and easy to work with, however when it comes to learning I’m strict and serious. Some of my students call me “Three-Face”, for I’m not only your teacher but also your friend and your coach: I will introduce you to the world of guitar as a teacher; jam and have fun with you as a friend; and I will train you and make sure you are on the right as a coach.

I like all kinds of music, from Classical to Metal and everything in between. Some of my favorite bands/artists who influence me include: Joe Satriani, Slash, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, Disturbed, Antoine Carre, Niccolo Paganini, Antonio Vivaldi…

Sharing my knowledge in music and guitar makes me happy, and it is the greatest joy for me to see my students grow and play the music they like. Guitar lessons should be fun and enjoyable, yet challenging.

Thank you very much for visiting my page and I hope to teach you soon!

Best wishes,

- Sylivan T.

*** Lesson Details ***
During our first lesson, we will first talk about your goal and music direction that you want to pursuit. Then based on your goal and direction, I will customize a curricular track and briefly explain the things that you need to know and what you need to focus on in order to achieve your goal.

As your instructor, my goal is to help you to reach your goals and to have fun with the music you enjoy. In each lesson, according to your progress, I will introduce you new concepts/materials using fun and easy-to-learn activities. Then we will work on the materials together and have fun jamming together. Yes!! You will feel like you are jamming along with your friend instead of taking a guitar lesson, because guitar lessons suppose to be fun!!!

Each particular lesson I will assign you some assignments. They would either be things that we already jammed on during the lesson, or something that I want you to work on your own. Then when we meet again, we will go over the assignments together and I will give you comments and advises to help you play better.

Below are only some of the instructional books that I usually use for teaching beginners. I will also use other instructional books and music repertories according to the ability of the students and their music style:

- Hal Leonard Guitar Method: Will Schmid and Greg Koch
- Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method: Alfred d’ Auberge and Morton Manus
- Hal Leonard Rock Guitar Method: Michael Mueller
- Solo Guitar Playing: Frederick M. Noad

From my experience as a teacher and student, I believe there is no such thing as a “Perfect Instructional Book”. Therefore along with the above instructional books I will add in some other activities and exercises written by myself.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I expect my students to have a guitar and a chromatic tuner. Also a note book, some staff paper, and a pen and a pencil.

For electric guitar, it's necessary to have an amp and a .25 inch cable at home

*** Specialties ***
Usually use Mei Bay Guitar Method as a general guide and text for guitar teaching.

*** Specialized in classical, rock, blues, and pop ***

my first love I always had a fascination with film. I began study with the successful theater and film coach Ruth Kulerman four years ago. After many lessons and plenty of encouragement from Ruth I decided to start testing the waters. Early in 2007 I went out and started auditioning. The response was overwhelming and I landed 17 roles in 5 months. Not a bad problem to have your first time out of the gate. It wasn'€™t prime time or the big screen, but it gave me enough confidence to continue to work hard and more importantly, I knew I had something special to offer.

I've had films in the Asian American Film Festival, New Film Maker Festival, and 2 years ago the film En Route won first place at the Milford Connecticut Film Festival, in which I was the lead. I was nominated for best actor at the Columbia film festival for the short Good Bye. In 2011 I was the lead in the film Down & Across which went to the Cannes film festival. I'm currently working on a TV pilot with the same team. The Coffee List, was my first attempt at writer, director and actor. The film has been screened at International Manhattan Film Festival, The Katra Film Series and we came in 3rd place for the HollyShorts Challenge on Indi website.

he played toy harmonica. Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Iridium, Bluenote, Birdland, U.N., IAJE, Cape Cod Jazz Festival, NJPAC, Sweet Rhythm, Smalls, Zinc Bar, Smoke Jazz Club, internationally: Japan, Spain, Russia, Brasil, St. Kitts, Canada, France, Bermuda, Sweden, Israel

-Toured/recorded and/or worked as sideman with Jimmy McGriff, Teddy Charles, Sonny Dallas, Victor Jones and Cultur-versy, Vince Giordano & The Night Hawks, Frank Vignola/Joe Ascione, Miles Griffith, David Pleasant, Jim Nolet (former violinist for the Jazz Passengers), Anastasia Rene, Jon Weber, Mona's Hot Four, Gordon Au's Grand Street Stompers, Michael Arenella's Dreamland Orchestra, with Jesse Gelber, Raphael McGregor, Emily Asher's Garden Party, and many other groups.

-Appears in Sam Mendes Film "Away We Go"

-Movie Soundtrack: King George.

-Guitar/banjo: "Jew Grows in Brooklyn," "Take Me Along," "The Big Apple Circus" + others.

-Banjo/Guitar Chair: "New Girl In Town" (Irish Rep Theatre)

-Author: Metallica Legendary Licks series,volume 1 & 2)
-Editor GRP chords (both Cherry Lane Music/Hal Leonard).

M.A. from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College
(partial scholarship)

B.S. from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook, graduated magna cum laude. Dean's list all semesters

-Published interview (book): A New Face of Jazz (Cicily Janus)

-Playing guitar/banjo on first episode of new PBS cartoon "Peg and Cat"

- Current adjunct professor at Essex College

-Guest lecturing professor at Manhattanville College

-Substitute adjunct professor at Queens College

-Winning participant: I.A.J.E. with Miles Griffith's New Ting 2007. Performance and educational certificate granted.

-Winning participant; part-scholarship award: 2004 International Jazz Workshop at BANFF Centre, Canada (dir, Dave Douglas)

-Winning participant; full-scholarship award of the 2001 JAS academy in Aspen Colorado (dir, Christian McBride (Down Beat Dec. 2001)

-Studying Bol (Indian rhythmic system) with tabla player, Pandit Samir Chatterjee 2006-2007; 2013-current

-Studied with Pat Martino, Billy Bauer, Ben Monder, Tony Purrone, Pete Bernstein, Dr. Stephen Salerno, Dr. David Belser

-Studying African Rhythms with drummer, Harvey Wirht

*** Lesson Details ***
With over 20 years teaching experience, Nick is patient with children & adults. He has a creative, unique pedagogy emphasizing hearing through singing, ear-training & natural, organic listening. Nick instills healthy absorption of music while students have fun learning their music, sight reading, internalizing with focus on rhythm and time.
As a student, you will get to work on music that you, the student select as well as work on sight-reading, technique, ear-training. We will also work out of method books and use other sources of information.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Chairs, music stands, instrument stands, classical foot pedals, classical guitar pillows, guitar amps, guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, drum set. Students usually provide their own instruments but it's possible to borrow an instrument during the lesson at the studio on the first lesson. (free street parking right in front!)

*** Specialties ***
Nick's pedagogy emphasizes ear-training, singing, reading and truly hearing the music we are working on. Rather than rote teaching and guitar tablature, he instills natural listening, transcribing, sight-reading and proper technique. Lessons are always enjoyable as Nick observes each student's unique needs and listen's to their song preferences and musical goals. Students have the opportunity to learn pieces and genres they select and they are trained to figure out tunes by ear (ear-training) and transcribe.

Nick teaches:

-classical guitar and Brazilian guitar (nylon 6 string and nylon 7 string guitar)
-acoustic steel string guitar, electric 6 string and electric 7 string guitar
- jazz guitar + an eclectic mix of styles: blues, Brazilian music, Latin Jazz, Afro-Peruvian, Indian music, rock, heavy metal, funk, R & B, Motown, reggae + other genres.
- tenor banjo (traditional jazz, jazz from New Orleans, Dixieland and world music)
-5 string banjo (Earl Scruggs finger picking [bluegrass and country])
-tenor guitar
-ukulele
-mandolin
-resonator slide/Dobro.
-baritone resonator (slide)

terson University jazz studies department
M.A. in composition from William Paterson university

rnor's Award in Arts Education for the category of Instrumental Music.

*** Lesson Details ***
I am very laid back and friendly, and I want you or your child to be as comfortable as possible during our lessons. You or your child will develop confidence and musical intelligence. I will make your lessons fun, enjoyable, and effective. Boredom is not an option! Music is fun... let's keep it that way.

The teaching methods I use will be custom-tailored to your individual needs, personality and specific musical goals. If it's guitar or piano you want to learn, I want to get you playing exactly what you want to be playing as soon as possible. That's what you're here for, and that's what I'm here for. I will make it happen. If it's songwriting that you want to learn, I will help you access that place inside of you that is dying to express itself creatively, and will teach you techniques to harness that energy and translate it successfully into musical expression.

You can expect to learn all the basics of music theory, proper playing techniques, improvisation and spontaneous musical expression, and I will help you develop your "ear" so you can figure out songs you like just by listening to them. This is all about you and your goals, and I want you to achieve them in a fun and engaging way.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Living room: Upright piano, guitars, amps, keyboard, percussion

*** Specialties ***
I specialize in pop, rock, classical, jazz, blues, folk, fingerstyle (guitar), etc. I also teach improvisation and songwriting, and try to develop the student's ear for figuring out songs they like on their own.

al, Disco, Musical theater, etc. What I do in the lesson depends on what the student is interested in. We could work on anything like reading, improv, fretboard knowledge, chord structure, theory, ear training, styles, or just learn songs.

jean in Les Miserables and John Wilkes Booth in Assassins, as well played in orchestras across the county. I performed as both a bass player and a vocalist in the Massachusetts All-State Jazz Ensemble at Symphony Hall in Boston.

I moved to New York to get a degree in Theater as a singer and actor in 2004. Since then I've been fortunate enough to work in NY orchestras, cabarets, theater and national TV, tour the world with a variety of musical artists, work as a studio musician recording albums for songwriters, and develop musical education programs. Most recently I curated and taught the bass guitar curriculum for Yousician, a Helsinki-based music app with 25 million users in 154 countries worldwide. That has been an invaluable experience, working alongside educators and programmers in one of the world's leading countries in both education and technology.

Music has been a life-directing guide for me; from the wonder of discovery to the mastery of new and exciting techniques, music has always been a sort of way for us to communicate intimately, yet on a universal scale. To pass the same experience on to others is such a gift, and one I value greatly.

"When words fail, music speaks."

So, let's start talking!

myself along with the experience of teaching beginners to advanced players in many different styles to be able to design the perfect lesson plan for you!

*** Studio Equipment ***
Fender Amplifiers
Fender Electric Guitars
A Francisco Manuel Diaz Flamenco guitar
Various Steel string acoustics
Various Recording equipment

*** Travel Equipment ***
An electric, steel string acoustic, or nylon string guitar and a small amplifier if needed. as well as all necessary materials for the lesson.

*** Specialties ***
I specialize in teaching Rock, Jazz, Blues, Funk, and Pop music on both electric and acoustic guitar.