Sam B
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Trombone, Drums, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Double Bass, Euphonium, Music, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Soul
Sam B
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Trombone, Drums, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Double Bass, Euphonium, Music, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Soul
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 8-80
Bachelor Degree: Lawrence University, Teaching Certificate: San Juan College
Aloha mai kakou! My name is Sam and I am a music teacher in the Four Corners region. I grew up in the Hawaiian Islands in a family of musicians, and learned how to play and perform on multiple instruments, surrounded by many different genres of music. After spending years in high school playing in different bands and traveling Hawai'i, I moved to Wisconsin to attend Lawrence University, a liberal arts college and music conservatory where I continued to perform and hone my techniques and teaching skills. I moved to Northwest New Mexico in 2019, and am excited to continue to share my music and experience with any and all who are interested!
I have been professionally teaching music since my college days, as an music instructor for a community group at the Neenah Public Library and locally at San Juan College through the Community Learning Center, both in person and online. These environments allowed me to work with a wide range of students simultaneously, from elementary school age to retirees. Though I took time to address these students as a group, I spent a good amount of time working with students individually and tailoring my lessons to their specific needs.
I adapt my instructional methods uniquely to each student and the instrument that they'd like to learn. For some instruments, I refer to specific methods that I have experience in. For example, for Piano I would refer to the Suzuki method for young children, while for Euphonium/Baritone and Trombone I would refer to Alfred's Accent on Achievement series. Many students often come with their own questions or concepts that they'd like to learn, so I often integrate their ideas into my lesson plans, most often for 'ukulele and guitar.
"Kanikapila" is the Hawaiian word for collective jam sessions or music making. In contemporary Native Hawaiian culture, music making is a shared and collaborative space where people come together to create and learn from one another, regardless of how much prior experience you have. My relatives raised me with these understanding, and this is the type of environment that I like emulate and integrate with my lessons and students. Music is a very personal and cultural practice for me, and I believe music can be accessed and shared by all people, no matter what their own background is. Every student comes with their own experiences and input, and I learn from my students just as they learn from me. My teaching style is flexible and cooperative, allowing the student-teacher relationship to be understood while also allowing the musician-musician relationship to be established as well. Let's learn together and kanikapila!
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