Singing with Sandy G.

HI! I graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Music, Science and Technology and then worked as an Audio Engineer at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford, where I recorded and produced a number of Grammy-nominated albums. I worked with amazing students and faculty, helping them utilize digital audio hardware and software for composition and research purposes. I have been called a natural-born teacher and have taught music to everyone from elementary school students to college graduate students. I began giving guitar lessons in high school and helped put myself through college by giving guitar lessons while I was a student at Stanford. I love teaching music and have recently taught Guitar, Digital Audio, Music Theory and Musical Acoustics at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, CA and Cogswell Polytechnical College in Sunnyvale, CA. I am currently teaching at the SAE Institute in San Francisco. I have been playing guitar/bass and writing and performing original songs since I was thirteen years old. I intimately understand the power of music and remember how it feels to be a young person with huge musical dreams. I hope to help you or your child realize these dreams through my lessons, which I believe can provide valuable insight based on my years of experience as a musician, songwriter, producer, and lover of music. I utilize my years of experience to not only teach you how to play guitar like a pro, but to become a professional in the music business. I can integrate my guitar lessons with explorations into music theory and production, or simply teach you how to play the songs you like. *** Lesson Details *** As a teacher, I will tailor my lessons to your level of experience and the topics you want to learn. As a guitar teacher, I will focus on helping you learn songs you like, through which we will discover the rudiments of good guitar technique. During each lesson we will utilize a song of your choice to learn both guitar technique and music theory. I believe lessons should be fun, relaxed, and informative: I will engage you during the lesson with questions to foster your understanding of music theory basics, but if you can't remember something I will gently lead you towards the answer. I want to teach you not only how to play chords, but how to understand the theory behind the chords you are playing, so that you can compose your own music or improve your current compositions. I will show you stylistic tips and tricks to help you master your instrument and also engage your musical imagination and chops by jamming with you for a few minutes each lesson so that you learn how to play well with other musicians. Patience is definitely the utmost virtue when it comes to my teaching style. No question is inconsequential and I will calmly explain the most basic concept in the same manner as which I will the most complicated. After a few months, you or your child will be able to confidently play chord progressions to songs you like and will be able to begin jamming with other musicians. You will understand how to play chords in multiple positions on the guitar neck and will understand the rudiments of various guitar styles, including blues, folk, rock, reggae and jazz. If you practice hard between sessions I guarantee that you will be able to play along with most musicians inside of a year. My expectations: (1) You will sit down with your instrument for at least 20 minutes a day between lessons. (2) You will have no fear making mistakes and never for a moment think that I am judging you in any way. (3) You will have fun increasing your musical skills. My promises to you or your child as a student: (1) You will learn at an accelerated pace. (2) You will feel comfortable working with me and will look forward to your weekly lesson. (3) You will leave each lesson with knowledge that builds upon past lessons. *** Studio Equipment *** Guitar, Bass, Keyboard. I offer a quiet and sunny location in San Francisco for you or your student to learn in. *** Specialties *** Blues, folk, rock. Improvisation, ear training, songwriting, digital audio production (Pro Tools, Logic), recording engineering.