Guitar with Joe A.

I was born and raised in Iowa City, IA. I started playing guitar when I was seven years old. I was able to meet one of my biggest idols, at the time, Johnny Lang. He really inspired me and told me if I kept playing, maybe we'd play together someday. I knew then that it was what I wanted to do. I continued to take lessons and play guitar whenever I could as I grew up. By the time I was in high school, I had played in the pit bands for events such as the show choir and musical, and I played in a rock band with my brother. We played around in the Iowa City area a lot. I also began teaching private lessons for beginning students when I was a junior in high school where I taught for 3 years. After High School, I decided to go to school for music. I wanted to make playing guitar my life, so I moved to Saint Paul, MN and began my bachelor's degree in guitar performance. I now play in numerous projects around the twin cities from jazz, rock, blues, latin, and metal. I graduated from McNally Smith College of Music in April of 2013 with a Bachelors of Music in Guitar Performance and a Minor in Sound Production. *** Lesson Details *** Lessons will be laid back and informal. We will have a good time. I believe the instructor needs to have a friendship with the student. Each student should be taught on a student-by-student basis. The concepts covered will be tailored to fit each student's strengths and weaknesses, and no two students will cover the exact same material. We will start to look at very basic principles in music. Sight reading, music theory, and rhythm will be covered. For the first half of the lesson we will cover basic elements of music and guitar techniques, and for the second half of the lesson we will work on the student's individual music interests. These will be songs that the student listens to on his/her free time. I find it's important to teach the student basic concepts that are absolutely necessary in becoming a player, but it's also important for them to attach that to their specific interests. *** Studio Equipment *** Music Room: Practice room, amps, and PA. *** Travel Equipment *** I can provide a guitar, books, and small amp if needed. *** Specialties *** I specialize in Rock guitar, but I'm comfortable in many different genres.