Greg C
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Latin, Showtunes, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova
Greg C
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Latin, Showtunes, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
DMA, Eastman School of Music, Jazz/Contemporary Media/Ethnomusicology, anticipated May 2014
MA, William Paterson University, Jazz Studies/Arranging, 3.9 GPA, 2011
BA, Empire State College, Liberal Arts, Music/Business 3.92 GPA, 2009
Diploma, Berklee College of Music, Professional Music, 1979
30+ years as a successful professional musician, including many notable live performances
20+ years of proven leadership as an arts entrepreneur, administrator, and teacher
16+ years leading, directing, writing and arranging at a professional level for a variety of jazz ensembles; Released 10 internationally acclaimed CDs featuring 50 original compositions, some with lyrics, in a wide variety of musical formats including solo guitar, duets, trios, quartets, quintets, and larger groups up to ten-piece.
10+years training and experience with mind, body, and health sciences
I am a passionate, life-long learner and artist who, after a successful international career as a performer, recording artist and entrepreneur, decided at age 50 to go to school in order to gain the academic qualifications that would better enable me to "give back" to society by educating and inspiring others. The past 6 years of my diligence and determination in school has led to achieving a BA, MA, and DMA, thereby adding to an already impressive professional background, new skills in scholarship and education. I have always loved people, communication, and culture. My years living and working in Asia include teaching over 5,000 private and group English lessons to Japanese students, and that is perhaps, when I first realized how much I could learn from my students! I look forward to bringing all my past experience to the table by helping others develop their creativity, confidence and critical thinking.
My teaching experience dates back to my earliest teenage years, when I convinced a local church (and my parents) in Cincinnati, Ohio, to let me teach privately in one of the church rooms. Soon afterwards, I landed a teaching job with Howard Early Music there, one of the more reputable music chains in that area. Since then, I have taught master classes, clinics, and private lessons in theory and improvisation, to various singers and instrumentalists at the college and community level. Throughout my career in both the USA and Asia, I taught private lessons intermittently to all ages, and am currently employed by the University of Rochester as a graduate teaching assistant at Eastman School of Music. I particularly enjoy teaching jazz theory and techniques to classically trained or pop-oriented singers and instrumentalists, thereby expanding their creative palette.
Generally speaking, I use a learner-centered approach, encourage astute questioning, a cooperative stimulation of critical thinking, and I prefer an active versus passive teaching style. Regardless of the student's age, I want him/her to have fun as much as possible, so I strive to make the unavoidable repetitive exercises more enjoyable by facilitating the student's creative input. I teach sight-reading and classical guitar using the Sagrares Method, and advise (particularly guitarists) on health and wellness methods developed by Dorothy Taubman. Mel Bay and Hal Leonard books may be used, and I will make suggestions once it is clear what the student's goals and aspirations are. But, I also ecourage the Suzuki Method, listening, transcribing, and composing, in order for the student to more quickly develop an individual style without over-reliance on the written notes, and have fun, active engagement with the creative learning process.
Teaching can also be learning, because there is a "two-way street" of communication between the student and the teacher as each collaborate on and develop the learning process. I get rewards for being a major part of that process. Additionally, nothing is more gratifying than to see one's student find their passion and exceed expectations. My goal is to encourage my students to enhance their creativity, musicality, and on a broader level, to help them excel at their personal and professional goals as potent and responsible citizens of our world community.
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