Andy M
5.0
(6)
Instruments: Guitar, Music, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Funk, Punk
Andy M
5.0
(6)
Instruments: Guitar, Music, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Funk, Punk
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
I grew up in Germany and started taking classical guitar lessons at age 10. After my dad took me to some Rock concerts, I wanted to learn the electric guitar. The two concerts that had the biggest impact on me during that time was seeing Yngwie Malmsteen and catching his pick as well as seeing Gary Moore. It got me interested in Hard Rock, Neoclassical Shred, and Blues. I started taking courses at a music school near Frankfurt, Germany when I was a teenager. It wasn't enough for me, though. I wanted to get the best possible music education. So, during my last year of high school, I applied to several music schools in Europe and the US. When Berklee accepted my application, I decided to go for it and moved to Boston. While I attended Berklee, I played in several local bands. I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Guitar Performance and Contemporary Writing & Production. If you don't live close to my location, I also provide online lessons via Zoom.
I started teaching during my last two years at Berklee. I discovered that I actually preferred teaching over gigging. So, after graduating, I started working as a full-time guitar instructor at Mars Music in the Dallas area. When they went out of business I took over most of the students and started working on my own. Over the years I have worked for a variety of music schools as well as privately. During the financial crisis in 2008/2009 I lost a lot of students. I decided to try something else. I went back to school and earned a second Bachelor's degree in Information Technology. I even ended up getting a job as a software engineer at IBM, but I soon realized that it is not the right thing for me. I missed playing the guitar and interacting with aspiring guitar players. So, I left that field for good and have put my full attention to teaching music since then.
I am not only teaching, but I am also constantly learning. When I started teaching, I used a variety of beginner guitar methods and I taught as I was taught. Over time I realized that the beginner books that I had been using were not the best way to learn guitar and that the way I have been taught guitar was also not the best way to learn the instrument. So, over time I have developed my own teaching materials. I have published three beginner guitar books that are available on Amazon and I'll add three more books to the course this year. These books contain all the information to get a complete beginner to an intermediate level. Besides these books I also use other materials such as song transcriptions and courses for specific skills such as rhythm, techniques, scales, etc. In my lessons I also teach the things nobody ever taught me. For example, how to practice, what to practice, how to deal with plateaus, and how to get motivated to practice when the passion is not there.
My teaching style depends on the student. The way I teach young children can be quite different than the way I teach adults. In general, I'm quite laid back. During the first lesson I usually assess a student's skill level and also ask about a student's music goals. Then I'll design a lesson plan with the student's goals in mind. Everyone is different and everyone learns at a different speed. However, everyone can learn how to play guitar. I show my students the fastest and most efficient way to progress on the instrument.
Viviana Delgado
We are extremely grateful and happy to have Andy as our son’s guitar teacher. He has learned so much in so little time. My son enjoys and always learns something new in every lesson. Andy also focuses on your own personal interest in music, which is great! My son began his guitar lessons with Andy in October because he had high school auditions due December 1st. Even though this seemed impossible in my eyes. My son successfully submitted his high school auditions thanks to Andy before the deadline. What can I say, best teacher ever! Thank you Andy!
Ken Larsen
I have been taking virtual lessons with Andy for a year now. As a semi retired physician, I have been a student/teacher almost my entire life. Being an expert in your field does not mean you have the ability to teach. You need a teacher that knows what needs to be mastered and then customize a plan to teach that individual. Andy has that skill set. My only regret is that my lessons cannot be in person.
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