
Joe S.

Teaching Locations:


About Joe S.
I absolutely love teaching music! After over 20 years of teaching, performing, writing, and recording in all styles/genres, it continues to be a great adventure. It is a joy to pass this on to others...especially seeing my students that never touched the instrument going on to be very proficient players.
I take teaching seriously, but definitely try to make it enjoyable for the student. I studied classical guitar in college, but was playing everything from Van Halen to Jazz to Country & Blues before that. Currently, I'd consider myself a flat out musical mutt...enjoying anything and everything. The love of guitar has also expanded to a multitude of instruments that I record, gig, & teach with.
Reviews
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Joe is an excellent observer and listener. In our first lesson, was able to assess where I was at and immediately start providing constructive feedback. Looking forward to continuing!

Excellent


I like his combination of enthusiasm and patience! Excellent skills!

Great first lesson!

Just had my first lesson with Joe. I can already tell he cares a lot about the craft and is willing to adjust his instruction to fit the student.


Joe’s really down to earth, a good teacher and I look forward to a lasting relationship with him.

Very good. Can't wait until next lesson.

its good

I was nervous about online lessons - but Joe was so patient and knowledgeable. My child has a learning disability but Joe never made this an issue giving my child amazing confidence. Great teacher so far highly recommended.

This was my first lesson with Joe. He was very knowledgable, thorough and patient. I am looking forward to my next lesson with him.

Joe is awesome, patient and kind. Makes feel no pressure. Learned a lot in my first lesson.
Highly recommend! -Maria🙂

Have had one lesson and thoroughly enjoyed it. Joe is very knowledgeable and patient. Looking forward to more lessons.

Great initial lesson.., Joe is a natural teacher.., i look forward to the next lesson.

The best teacher ever, very good guitar teacher, gets the point across while being very kind about it, very fun-loving and caring to his students, catering to their playing needs.

Joe is a personable and knowledgeable guitar instructor. My son is really learning a lot even only after a short time.

Joe is a great teacher! He’s very knowledgeable about the banjo as well as patient and encouraging. I’ve been taking lessons with him for a little over a month and I’m making a lot of progress with him.

camera and sound was nice, no glitches, deserves a 6 star. very nice to students, gets the lesson through, always on time.



Fantastic lesson. Thanks a bunch, Joe! Look forward to our next one 🤙

First lesson was great.
Analyzed previous progress with my 12 yr old and had a plan for future growth.

Very happy so far

Terrific instructor...just what i was looking for.

Joe is a great teacher for my son - patient, enthusiastic and adapts the music for learning to my son's interest. Can't recommend enough - great!

Great first lesson. Very professional and impressed with Joe's knowledge and teaching skills.

Joe has been super patient and easy to practice with. Very knowledgeable in his craft and I highly recommend him to any future students.

Joe was enthusiastic and really taught my son a lot! Great lesson and looking forward to more!

Joe is an excellent teacher, nice person with the great knowledge of child's developmental psychology, strong communicational skills, ability to connect quickly, easy going, patient and absolutely loving to teach. We highly recommend him.

Joe has been a great teacher. I am amazed how quickly the lessons have progressed. He is patient and his passion for music is apparent.

Great teacher-organized & punctual. He has a passion for music and has a great disposition. My kids enjoyed their lesson and have been practicing on their own.

Joe is a great teacher. He manages to provide a rare balance of providing structure and technique infusing a delightful element of fun and social interaction. My lessons are about music, art, and life and science. Highly recommend!

He was so patient and good..

Joe was very intuitive and kind with our daughter. Our younger daughter wants to take lessons from him too. He is very knowledgable in the music field. Pleasure to have in our home.

Excellent approach, friendly and educative .

Easy to follow

I've only had one lesson with Joe so far but he was great. We worked on the basics before getting into a specific song I need to learn. Have already booked the next lesson.

He is so kind and and easy to get along with. He cares about my son's progress. I appreciate his professionalism. We will be sticking with him for sometime.

Best instructor I've ever had! I've been taking lesson with Joe for over 7 years. He has taught me all that I know about the guitar from improvisational blues to jazz and solos. I was very nervous when practicing my solos but he makes it very approachable and gets you over the fear. On top of that he began teaching me how to sing. He is a patient instructor who works with you and all your needs. Extremely knowledgable about music and music theory (so he could technically play any instrument by applying his knowledge of musical theory). I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn the guitar for sure! But also if you are trying to sing and song write. He is great and explaining to the student very complex subjects and helping you understand it fully. Best teacher I've ever had and made me the musician I am today :)
Photos & Videos
3 Photos & VideosExperience
Guitar / Music Theory / Piano / Voice / Mandolin / Ukulele / Banjo, etc. Instructor
Jan 2007 - PresentSelf
Started teaching guitar, voice, piano, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and more independently. Developed custom made lesson plans on a per student basis.
Analyst
Jul 2019 - Nov 2020Taylor Guitars
Great job of analyzing the global guitar industry. Learned a lot about acoustic instrument production and care.
Guitar / Music Theory Instructor
Jan 2003 - Oct 2006Kidder Music
Took a guitar studio that had four students enrolled and increased it to thirty two students of all ages. Also taught bass guitar, keyboard theory, and music theory.
Guitar / Vocals
Aug 2000 - May 2006Casual Man - Band
Played guitar and sang in a Budweiser sponsored band covering classic to modern rock. Also did session and songwriting work with other members of the band.
Music studies
Aug 1998 - May 2001Missouri State University and Illinois State University
Took pedagogy coursework on piano, flute, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, plus studied classical guitar and sang in choir.
Guitar Instruction
Sep 1996 - Apr 1997Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Taught group guitar class of students 18 and older.
Education
Masters in Business Administration
Aug 2016 - Sep 2018University of California - Irvine
Sociology / Psychology
Jan 2003 - May 2006Illinois State University
Languages
English
Fluent / Native Proficiency
Spanish
Limited Proficiency
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