Aaron S. — Guitar Teacher — Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal

Education: B. Mus (Summa Cum Laude), Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA, USA Principal Instrument: Guitar Major: Music Production & Engineering Private instruction: Guitar: Lauren Passarelli (Boston, MA), Mike Williams (Boston, MA), Neil Bateman (Ottawa, ON) Voice: Joyce Lucia (Boston, MA), Sandra Nason (Ottawa, ON) Special Skills and Training: As a full-time musician, I’ve worn several professional hats. I’ve worked in live sound, composed for video games, placed music in hundreds of television shows, mixed and mastered albums, and produced recordings for other artists, in addition to my own performing career. This varied experience allows me to communicate to students how guitar fits into the bigger musical picture. I teach students how to work with other musicians, play to serve the song, and develop excellent listening skills. Students benefit from this multifaceted approach whether their goal is to be a musical hobbyist, academic, or professional. Awards and distinctions: Summa Cum Laude (highest academic honours), GPA 3.8 2019 grant recipient, Québec English Language Arts Network (ELAN) State of the Arts: Public Experts Project

I take a holistic, mentoring approach, adapting lessons to the student's interests and abilities. We cover technique, repertoire, theory, ear training, with the focus being on musicianship rather than a strictly guitar-centric perspective. We learn to play full songs from start to finish, giving students a better understanding of musical context and a sense of accomplishment when a song is mastered. I'm also a singer, and love to work with singer/songwriters and performers. I look forward to meeting you and helping with your musical development! Instruction topics: -technique -repertoire (rock, folk, acoustic, hard rock, r&b, hip hop, regional/specialty, jazz, as per student interests) -theory (shillinger/Berklee method) -ear training -musicianship -songwriting/composition (if student expresses interest) -instrument in context (recording, playing with others, arranging, etc)