Guitar with Diana B.

Diana is a classical guitarist and pianist originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to guitar and piano, she teaches voice and ukulele in Charleston and Folly Beach, South Carolina, where she now resides. She previously taught in New York City and San Francisco for several years. She spent the better part of a decade studying closely with two mentors: celebrated classical guitarist Lynn McGrath, and revered pianist Stephen Montoya. As a high school student, Diana regularly performed in recitals and participated in competitions and festivals across the U.S., including the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) and The Parkening Guitar Competition, where she received masterclass instruction from distinguished guitarists like David Russell, Ana Vidovic and Christopher Parkening. She went on to study classical guitar at the North Carolina School for the Arts as the youngest student admitted in her focus at the age of 17, and later studied music performance and composition at the University of New Mexico. In addition to her classical studies, Diana sang in a variety of traveling choral groups throughout high school and took small roles in the Broadway musicals ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Rent’. In the course of her studies, Diana was honored with awards of excellence from the National Honors Society of Guitar and recognized for her performances with the critically acclaimed woman’s guitar ensemble, ‘Presti Quartet.’ She was selected two years in a row to perform 1st chair in the New Mexico ALLSTATE Guitar Orchestra - the first-ever young woman to earn that position. The following year she was chosen as one of twelve guitarists to represent music in education in the United States. In the time since her studies, Diana has called many places home. She lived in New Orleans, New York City and San Francisco, where her music interests broadened to embrace traditional American forms, such as jazz and the blues. During these times she ran a private music practice and worked with Music Schools, teaching children and young adults a variety of music styles. Diana carries with her the belief that music should never feel like a chore and that learning music should be curiosity-driven, active, enjoyable, and emphasize self-expression. Diana believes in building a strong foundation of musical knowledge with her students by providing the tools to create good habits from the beginning to encourage effective, deliberate practice habits. It is her mission to inspire aspiring musicians as a music educator and bring a life-long love of music to her students.