Classical Guitar with Michael B.

I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and have been teaching guitar for over 25 years to students from beginning to advanced levels in a variety of styles. I can help you achieve your goals in many styles including rock, blues, country, metal, and classical by balancing technical knowledge and skills with playing relevant musical examples. This will allow you to sample your own progress pretty much immediately and paves the way to developing the skills necessary to play in the styles that interest you the most. My approach to teaching revolves around the idea of balancing “technical” learning with “musical” learning from the very beginning. Technical ideas include finger exercises, chords and strumming, and reading standard notation and tablature. Musical ideas involve playing songs (or parts from songs) that utilize the student’s newly acquired technical capabilities. I follow the student’s interests as much as possible in this area. I have taught private guitar lessons in a variety of settings from music stores to universities to the internet. On the academic side, I have taught Music Theory at the UW-Madison as a Teaching Assistant, and have taught guitar at several other smaller universities. I have also worked as a proofreader and arranger for Hal Leonard Publishing. I have many years of performing experience as a classical soloist and have been a lead guitarist for several bands. I believe that most people are capable of becoming skilled guitarists, and some of my students have even won scholarships, competitions, and have gone on to become professional musicians and music teachers. So, whether you are preparing for an audition or a recital, forming a band, or wanting to explore a particular musical style, I look forward to helping you attain your goals!