Peter C  
Instruments: Guitar, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age, Bossa Nova, Soul, Punk, Avant-garde

I started teaching right after college in 2009. I had taken a job working for Apple Inc and taught a few days a week at the Pop Music Academy in Stamford CT. Eventually I was able to leave Apple and work full-time for the Pop Music Academy before taking a job as the Music Director at the School of Rock in Madison. It was at School of Rock that I honed my skills and developed my philosophy of teaching. We sent students to perform at Terminal 5 in New York City where they performed alongside members of the rock group Living Color. Students also performed at famed venues such as the Ridgefield Playhouse and the Spaceland Ballroom.

In 2015 I was accepted to SUNY Purchase’s Studio Composition Graduate Program which took me away from my job at School of Rock. Grad school further contributed to my development as an educator and artist, and gave me new skills to take my career to the next level. In 2018 I agreed to become a Teaching Artist with Music Ascension and took on the role of Music Director for Indian Head Camp during the summer of 2018. At Indian Head I organized the curriculum for the students and recorded a full length album of songs that campers wrote. Since then I continue to write and produce music for TV, local artists and bands that I am actively involved with. I continue to grow as a private teacher through in home lessons and as a faculty member at Long Ridge Music Center in Stamford CT.

I subscribe to the idea that I am not a teacher, but rather a facilitator. My job is not to tell students how to become well rounded musicians, but to open doors and allow them to walk through on their own. Sharing my personal experiences can be invaluable for students, but I understand that no two students will have the same path. I don’t force-feed information, but instead bring up concepts and techniques as they pertain to the needs and desires of the student. I believe in the power of the Socratic Method in which a student’s question is not greeted with a black and white answer, but rather with a line of questioning that will allow the student to arrive at the answer on their own. I have also found improvisation to be the most effective way of allowing students to express themselves and feel excited about playing. Reading music and ear training are pillars of my approach, but improvisation is where students can really find their voice. Improvisation comes in many forms and is utilized in all my lessons with students of all abilities.