Ukulele with James H.

My name is James Hawes. I provide weekly online private music lessons in classical guitar and ukulele. Students of all ages and levels of experience are welcome. I've been teaching for many years and I love what I do. I am very patient and easy going. I love working with kids and work hard to be a positive influence in my students' lives. I am very accountable for my students' progress and happiness with what they are learning. Below is a brief bio. I have been performing and teaching music for over 25 years. After having piano lessons as a young child, I began studying both French Horn and Classical Guitar at the age of 12. At that time I had two great mentors, John Miller of the Indianapolis Symphony and Joylyn Hague at University of Indianapolis. I hold a Bachelor™s degree in Music Performance in French Horn and a Master™s degree in Music Education from the Indiana University School of Music. At Indiana University I studied with celebrated horn players Philip Farkas and Michael Hatfield and received certification in K-12 instrumental music as well as Kodaly Method certification while continuing to study classical guitar with Joylyn Hague at University of Indianapolis and Brett Terrell at Butler University. My first teaching job after college was with a company called Music on the Move, where I traveled once a week to 12 different private (mostly Catholic and Christian) k-8 schools and taught individual and small group lessons in brass, winds, strings, piano, and guitar, as well as general music. From there I went on to teach band and orchestra for several years at Brebeuf Preparatory School in Indianapolis. At this time I was also performing frequently with a classical guitar quartet, œThe Franklin Quartet. After 6 years of teaching at Brebeuf, I owned a tutoring service, Head of the Class Educational Services, where I traveled to students'™ homes for academic tutoring and help with home school instruction. With Head of the Class I gained a lot of valuable experience helping students with learning disabilities and worked particularly with many students struggling with Asperger™s Syndrome. During this time I worked with many home schools and gained much appreciation for the achievements and challenges that home schools face. These days, and for quite a few years now, I focus all of my time and energy on playing classical guitar and teaching private music lessons. Over the years of working with students of all ages and various backgrounds, my greatest strength has been building excellent relationships with my students. Experience has taught me that is the first and foremost important requirement for students' success. I have been fortunate to study with several great teachers and perform with many great musicians. It is my greatest joy in life to be able to pass that along to my students.