Guitar with James M.

With 40 years of performance experience, and 35 years of teaching, I guess you could say I'm serious about my music. My father always stressed the importance of music in our lives. He received his Masters in Performance (violin) from U of M and a Doctorate in Music Education at Keene State College (NH). Subsequently, our home was filled with the sounds of the classics and jazz while growing up. Personally, I began playing piano at the age of 3. At 10, I found an old guitar that had belonged to my grandfather. Dad showed me the 3 chords that he knew and the rest, as they say, is history. I played my first gig at the age of 15 and I'm still going strong today. I have performed classical, rock, jazz, blues, country, and contemporary worship music. I moved to Michigan in 1978 and attended Eastern Michigan University as a music major. At this same time, I began teaching at a music store in Ypsilanti. It's then that I developed my real passion for teaching. There is nothing like the feeling when a student grasps a new concept. Their eyes light up, and I'm filled with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I truly love it. I currently have some students that have been with me for over 5 years. Many students have gone on to play professionally. I am currently in 3 bands: Classic Rock, Blues, and Contemporary Worship. I still practice every day and I'm learning new concepts for playing as well as teaching. I would be honored to have you as a student. *** Lesson Details *** I try to make my lessons fun. I do not stand over you with a ruler and slap your wrist if you make a mistake. I am very patient and try to accentuate all accomplishments. However, I do expect my students to put as much effort as possible into the assigned tasks. This benefits us both. I teach all my students to read music using the Mel Bay Method (for young people) or The Berklee Method. Along with this, we will try to find some selections of music that you personally like and work them into our curriculum. We will set goals and formulate a plan to achieve them. Basically, We will customize a lesson structure just for you. *** Travel Equipment *** I will bring a music stand and an instrument for myself. If teaching at the student's home. If acoustic, they need their own guitar. If electric, they need guitar, amp, and cable. If they come to the studio, I can provide a music stand and an amp. *** Specialties *** I can teach many styles: Country, Rock, Blues, Folk, etc... However, I emphasize the importance of reading and theory with all my students as the foundation for all of these.