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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Guitar lessons in Thousand Oaks . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Ukulele Recorder Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
My journey in the world of music has been incredibly fulfilling, especially when it comes to teaching. Over the years, I've had the privilege of sharing my knowledge and passion for music with eager learners of all ages and backgrounds. Teaching music has been a transformative experience for me. There's a unique joy that comes from watching a student's eyes light up when they grasp a challenging concept or successfully play a piece they've been working on. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
This type of jumping around is pretty routine even with students without special needs, so maintain a flexible but focused teaching style. It's a bit of a tightrope, but a walkable one. Adam, as many students are, was eager to show me his progress with scales first thing every week but as soon as the scale began to irk or ceased to interest him, we had to move off of it right away onto something that was joyful, so he stayed focused. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harp Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Lute Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Euphonium French Horn Tuba Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Shakuhachi Oboe Bassoon English Horn Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar
Derek is a Grammy-nominated trombonist based in Los Angeles, California. Derek completed a BM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas in 2016 and an MM in Studio Music and Jazz Trombone at the University of Miamis Frost School of Music in 2018. As a freelance musician in Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas, he has been regarded as a first-call musician in many styles of music for the past 5 years. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Music
Emily Retsas is a musician who currently based in Los Angeles. Since 2018 Emily has been playing bass for Phoebe Bridgers as well as having played for artists such as Kim Gordon, Boygenius, Better Oblivion Community Center, Shirley Manson(Garbage), Fiona Apple. Emily recorded bass on the four time Grammy nominated album Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers. In her young career Emily has become a regular on the international festival circuit, playing on huge stages including Glastonbury, Coachella Lollapalooza and Primavera as well as appearances for Saturday Night Live, Ellen, Conan OBrien, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Last Call with Carson Daly, KEXP Radio, Tiny Desk NPR, Google and Spotify. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Voice Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I developed a system of designing courses based on the individual music profile of the student. I assess the students capacities in different areas, I design the course based on this assessment and the goals the student wants to reach. Typically each student receives training on three main areas: Technique, Ear Training and Music Theory. In each area I use ton of resources to have students learn ,absorb and apply key concepts about rhythm, melody, harmony, tone color and form. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar
I have been teaching private performance lessons since I was 14 and later taught guitar through both of my respective colleges as a graduate assistant. Immediately upon graduating, I was hired on as an Adjunct Faculty Professor at the California Institute of the Arts to teach secondary guitar lessons. I was very proud to say that I was the youngest member of the faculty at that time and I held the position for 3 semesters before leaving to tour for a year. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I am a versatile multi-instrumentalist instructor who enjoys teaching students of all ages. I possess a Master of Fine Arts (Performer-Composer) from California Institute of the Arts, a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Studies) from Vancouver Island University, and I even have my Apple Certified Macintosh Technician credential from v2 Consulting. I have won awards for my music and was voted Third Place in the Composers Today State Contest for my compositions via the Music Teachers' Association of California. Read More
Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
Why did you choose your primary instrument?
Electric Guitar is a versatile instrument that stands out just like a high note in the trumpet cuts through a 150+ string players in an Orchestra. I love the fact that a guitar has so many ways to be played, tapping, thumping, slap, legato style, alternative picking, jazz approach, etc. But I chose the guitar because of another artist who inspired me to pick up the guitar, his name is Marty Friedman.
What is your dream piece to perform and why?
In Guitar, I always dreamed to play The Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater. Of course I can, but that was a huge milestone. In Piano, im looking forward to at least be able to play the Minor tritonal changes of Maurice Ravel’s Ondine.
Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
Andres Prado is a jazz monster that taught me most of what I know in improvisation and Nylon Guitar. He was a little bit harsh since he was a Jazz Guy and I was a rock oriented player. However, he never gave up on me and we both connected through his music. He is truly and inspiration.
When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I always knew that I was going to be a musician. However, as I was becoming more skillful at the guitar, I started considering expanding my musical horizons and that’s why I also studied Orchestration and Film Scoring.
Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Unfortunately, none of my family were musicians. I’m the only one pursuing this career and cannot be more grateful for my parents support in this journey so far.
What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Fusion. In fusion you can mix different techniques and elements from so many different genres and guitar techniques. There is no right or wrong, there is no parallel fifths, low intervals, wrong comping. There is endless exploring of flavors.
If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would be probably a software engineer, since that was one of the professions my dad told me to go for after finishing High School. I’m grateful for being able to follow my passion in Music.
If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
Professional Music (Performance, Jazz Composition, Composition) and Film Scoring. I chose them because I love playing guitar in many different styles; that also applies to my passion for composing and orchestrating for visual and interactive media.
What does a normal practice session look like for you?
An hour divided in:
Warmup
Reading
Recapping previous class material
Practicing chords
Melodies
Repertoire
Improvisation/Technique
And towards the end we do some more warm up exercises and stretching before finishing the lesson.
What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
I would say it’s tone and improvisation vocabulary. True Legato technique is probably the hardest to achieve since it requires tons of self awareness in muscle, hand positioning, delicacy and strength. In Improvisation, it’s composition so it takes a while to learn a language.
What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I have toured with the band Ankh in Peru in 2014. I have played with talented musicians at Berklee. I have orchestrated and composed music for a feature film and 4 small videogames I can’t wait what the future brings!
Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
Most of them do pick up the guitar to have fun. I see them playing with bands from now and then. Music full fills their life for sure.
When will I start to see results?
For beginners, about 2 - 3 months. But the student will be able to play repertoire from the first class, as simple as it may be. I will help the student build a consistent plan of practice. Keeping track and scheduling practice hours by topics is a good way to maximize the musical gains. Practicing smarter, not longer.
What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practicing perfect makes perfect. But sacrificing the passion and fun for perfection must not be the way. Never to sacrifice the soul, always to remember that we are not machines but humans.
How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
Music calls everybody at their own time. The best way is to expose to children to as much music as possible. I believe they eventually show interest towards their instrument and genre of preference and that’s when they are ready.
23 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Guitar lessons in Thousand Oaks to students of all ages and abilities.
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