Teaching & Lessons
About me as a teacher: I have been a guitar and bass teacher for more than 8 years, and I've had the great opportunity of teaching students of all backgrounds, ages and levels of expertise.
I recognize that each person is different, has a particular taste, and, most importantly, has a way of learning that is unique and must be addressed individually. As a teacher I am very encouraging. I challenge my students' talents and skills and offer them the highest quality instruction catered to their musical preferences.
I teach mainly Jazz, Classical, and Rock guitar. I've also taught Blues, Pop, R&B, Funk, Heavy Metal, Fusion, Folk, Latin. As far as music theory, I have experience teaching harmony, ear training, songwriting, arranging, orchestration, as well as jazz history and general music History.
Availability: All of Manhattan (Downtown, Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, East Village, Chelsea, Lower East Side, etc. Pretty much anywhere, from Downtown to Inwood); All of Queens (Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Rego Park, Middle Village, Floral Park, Corona, Flushing); Parts of Brooklyn (information per request).
Major Influences: Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Ben Monder, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Williams, Andres Segovia, J.S. Bach, Leo Brower, Agustin Barrios, Antonio Lauro, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Hendrix, Metallica, B.B. King, Steve Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Joe Satriani, Jethro Tull, Gipsy Kings, Flamenco Music, Guns n' Roses, The Eagles, Eddie Van Halen, and many, many others.
Experience: Private Music Instructor (guitar, bass and beginning piano) in the New York area, including Manhattan, Queens, Long Island and Westchester County, as well as in my private studio. [06/2005 - Present]
Teaching Fellow for the Jazz Guitar Program, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. Duties included teaching private guitar lessons, and assisting UNT Jazz Guitar Professor, Fred Hamilton, in the instruction of master classes. [08/2004 - 05/2005]
Director of the L-5 guitar ensemble, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. Duties included rehearsal preparation and conducting; performance scheduling and logistics; arranging and writing music for the ensemble; as well as other related tasks. [08/2004 - 05/2005]
Guitar Instructor for the Community Music Program at the University of North Texas, teaching students of all ages and proficiency levels. [01/2004 - 05/2005]
Education: Master's of Music in Jazz Studies (MM), University of North Texas [2005] Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies (BM), University of North Texas [2003] Music Degree, with an emphasis on Classical Guitar (BM), Javeriana University, Bogota, Colombia [2000]