Teaches online
Teaches Beginner, Intermediate
Age: 5+
Speaks English
Teaching since 2000
Bachelor of Music Performance
About Jesse S
4.4
(7)
I started to fall in love with music when I saw the Beatles Anthology on TV; got my first guitar when I was 15 and have been hooked ever since. I started playing in Rock Bands in high school and started teaching lessons my senior year of high school in Dale City Virginia; then I got real serious about music and decided to go to Music School.
I received my Bachelor Degree in Music Performance from VCU in 2006 and have been teaching lessons in the Richmond area ever since. I play many instruments around Richmond and Central Virginia, and you can most notably see me playing mandolin with bands such as, The River City Band and A Good Natured Riot.
I teach every style that a student is willing to learn, everything from Italian Opera to Hip-hop funk. If a student is passionate about a certain area of music then I will help them to further there knowledge on that particular style. I teach students from age 5-100 and have also taught many students with special needs. I love listening to, playing, and teaching others about music. Music is something that once it gets inside of you, it is hard to get out; it becomes a part of you, so hopefully we can make you love and appreciate music as much as I do. Thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about me.
*** Lesson Details ***
My lesson style is patient and laid back, but I am a fan of hard work and details. I believe the harder you work, the more you will be rewarded; but work can be fun, especially when it comes to music. I first try to find out what music the student is passionate about and go from there; once we have found out what the student is interested in we expand on that more, but always paying attention to the fundamentals of music. A student can learn about music theory in a Taylor Swift song just as much as they can from a Mozart song.
I like to work out of Hal Leonard, Mel Bay and Alfred Music Books, but I use a lot of personal notes and songs from previous teachers of mine. If a student is interested in performing I try to have them play out in public either at a show or a recital of mine. After a couple of months of lessons students should be able to have a greater appreciation of music and music styles while being able to read music and play some songs/tunes. Hopefully we will be playing music together in the future, thank you for your time
*** Studio Equipment ***
Music Stand, Piano, small keyboard, midi keyboard for use with Macbook pro, Acoustic Guitar-Steel string and Nylon string, Electric Guitar, Two Guitar Amplifiers, banjo, mandolin, electric bass, ukulele, vocal microphones, harmonicas
*** Travel Equipment ***
I provide whatever is needed, but the student can provide books or amplifiers if they have certain ones they prefer.
*** Specialties ***
I specialize in one on one lessons in any genre, but have done many group lessons. My best areas are classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, and rock n roll/pop
Instructor details
Location:
Teacher's Studio
Old Ridge Rd
Teaching Hours
Monday
4 AM-5 AM
Tuesday
12:30 PM-3 PM
Times are shown in your local timezone (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Pricing
30 minutes
$20
45 minutes
$25
60 minutes
$35
ReviewsWrite a review
5
86%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
14%
4.4
7 Reviews
Bob Mitchell
Student's home
Great teacher if he ever shows up. He has cancelled 11 of my last 13 lessons. I have been a student of his for a year and a half. This is what you can expect.
Posted Jun 25, 2015
Steve
Student's home
Jesse adjusted his teaching style to my prior knowledge of the guitar...which really wasn't much. His versatility helps a lot.
Posted Mar 25, 2015
Kristine Mihajlovits
Student's home
I am very pleased with Mr. Spencer's teaching. My Grandson is very anxious to go to his lessons on Tuesday and now after 4 lessons he has asked if he can continue. I highly recommend Mr. Spencer, when a friend asks who Xander is taking lessons from.
Posted Feb 10, 2015
Experience
Music Instructor
Apr, 2007 - PresentWhite Hawk Music Cafe
Teach several instruments and several styles of music, and have 4 to 5 student concerts a year, also do summer group workshops
Education
Bachelor of Music Performance
Aug, 2001 - Dec, 2006Virginia Commonwealth University
Bachelor of Music Performance
Sep, 2001 - Dec, 2006Virginia Commonwealth University
Awards
Joseph Kennedy Jr. Scholarship
Mar, 2003Richmond Jazz Society
Languages
English
Native Proficiency
Jesse's Gallery
Instructor details
Location:
Teacher's Studio
Old Ridge Rd
Teaching Hours
Monday
4 AM-5 AM
Tuesday
12:30 PM-3 PM
Times are shown in your local timezone (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Pricing
30 minutes
$20
45 minutes
$25
60 minutes
$35
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