call us 206-634-1662

Guitar Private Lessons

 

Carolyn Cruso

Guitar, Hammered Dulcimer, Flute

Teaches at Dusty Strings: By appointment, call for details.

Ages Taught: All ages

Levels Taught: Beginner to intermediate

 

Teacher Biography: Carolyn is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and touring musician. She has recorded six CDs of her own music and one of traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and various European countries. She studied classical flute in her teens and has a degree in Environmental Conservation. Carolyn has extensive experience as an environmental educator teaching both youth and adults, and has brought many aspects of this experience to her ten years of hammered dulcimer teaching. Carolyn essentially taught herself to play the hammered dulcimer, and is now known as an innovator, taking the instrument to new places through experimentation and development of new techniques.Visit Carolyn's website.

 

 

Orville Johnson

Guitar, Slide Resonator Guitar, Dobro

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Tuesday

Ages Taught: Adults

Levels taught: All Levels

Teacher Biography: Orville Johnson is a singer, instrumentalist, record producer, songwriter, session player, teacher, the top dobro player between Seattle and Nashville and, above all, an instinctive and sensitive musician. Orville is also known as a patient and insightful teacher of music. He teaches any kind of dobro playing and fingerstyle and flatpicking guitar styles. He’s comfortable with many genres and prefers to tailor his lessons to the student’s interest rather than a certain method. He enjoys sharing his knowledge, and the only thing he requires in a student is self-motivation and willingness to practice. www.orvillejohnson.com.

 

Tai Shan Kesecker

Guitar, Singing, Songwriting

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Monday-Thursday

Ages Taught: 6 to Adult

Levels Taught: Beginning to Intermediate

 

Teacher Biography: Tai Shan Kesecker is a songwriter known for unusual chord voicing, wide sweeping melodies, and detailed lyrics. She graduated cum laude with her B.A. in Music from Cornish College of the Arts, and has performed throughout the West Coast and on nationally released CDs, international videos, and local TV and radio stations. Tai’s teaching often focuses on a combination of singing, playing, and songwriting, and she encourages students to record their songs onto CD. She specializes in folk, rock, and jazz styles, and has won praise for her supportive approach – as one student stated, "Tai gave me the courage to go out and perform.” Visit Tai Shan's website

 

Yusuf Kilgore

Guitar - Gypsy Jazz, Bluegrass, Beginning

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Friday & Sunday

Ages Taught: 7 to Adult

Levels Taught: Beginner-Advanced


Teacher Biography: Yusuf Kilgore is an accomplished guitarist, teacher, and composer known for his versatility. He earned a B.A. in Folklore & Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, studied at the IU School of Music, played at cafes in Paris and Berlin, and now plays a variety of styles including Brazilian choro, gypsy jazz, Americana, Latin jazz, and bluegrass. He likes to explore music from each student’s perspective, and works to help them improve in the areas which need it the most. He also helps them recognize their strengths so that they are able to assert their best qualities and become confident and savvy performers, whatever their playing level.

 

Eric Madis

Guitar

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Thursday Morning/Afternoon.

Ages taught: Adults

Levels taught: All Levels

Teacher Biography: Eric Madis lives in Seattle where he performs  solo, with his own blues and jazz ensembles, and with Seattle Swing Trio. Eric has accompanied Hawaiian luminaries and many of the Northwest's finest blues and jazz artists. He has taught guitar since 1975, and is a dedicated instructor who teaches in a simple, logical manner, emphasizing major progress in small steps. He believes that all musicians, professional and amateur, want to perform, even if only performing for themselves in their bedroom. Eric's areas of expertise are blues (including bottleneck slide), jazz, country, and Hawaiian slack key. www.ericmadis.com.


Barry Pollack

Guitar - Classical, Fingerstyles, Arranging
Beginning Guitar, Music Literacy

Teaches at Dusty Strings Tuesday, Wednesday,  Sunday.

Ages taught: All ages

Levels taught: All levels

Teacher Biography: Barry is a world-class guitarist who has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Ray Charles, Jeff Beck, Bo Diddley and The Joffrey Ballet. He is the author of Popular Guitar Music (Prentice-Hall, 1987), one of the first texts to teach guitar skills and music theory using transcriptions of recorded guitar playing. Barry has been teaching guitar in the Seattle area for over thirty years. He is happy to work with beginners of all ages to help them get started with the best possible personalized approach. He is also available to work with experienced guitarists and professional players. www.modernclassicsguitar.com.

 

Peter Spencer

Peter Spencer

Guitar, Voice, Songwriting, Electric Bass

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday.

Ages taught: 8 and up

Levels taught: All Levels

Teacher Biography: Peter Spencer was a founding member of the Greenwich Village Songwriters' Cooperative and contributing editor to the group's magazine Fast Folk, now being distributed through the Library of Congress. He is also a renowned fingerpicker and songwriter whose work combines jazz, blues, and folk in a unique way. Peter's lessons follow a path defined by the desires and directions of the individual student. His goal is to create players and singers who can have fun making music with their friends, their families, and in public, with a wide range of pieces available for them to play. www.peterspencer.com.

 

Charlotte Thistle

Guitar

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Weekday Mornings-Early Afts.
Ages Taught: Age 6 - Adult
Levels taught: Begin-Int.

 

Out on Tour through September 2010

 

Charlotte Thistle performs regionally as a singer-songwriter, including appearances at Northwest Folklife and Bumbershoot and on several local radio stations. Her teaching has included workshops at Dusty Strings introducing kids and their parents to the guitar. She loves to provide students with an entry point into a whole new world and watch them grow and learn. Working with children, teens or adults of any level, Charlotte enjoys seeing her students grow in confidence as they play and perform. Visit Charlotte's website.

 

John Calvin

Guitar (steel string & classical)

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Sat. Morning, Mon. Evening, & Thurs. Afternoons

Ages taught: 7 and up

Levels taught: All Levels

Teacher Biography: For more than twenty-five years, John has sung and played guitar, and has studied folk, classical, jazz, blues and Celtic guitar styles. Currently, he performs and records with the acoustic music duo Moonset. He has taught hundreds of guitar players, from absolute beginners to skilled performers who are looking for new ideas. He offers patient instruction, encouragement and lots of support for all students, whatever their level. When teaching children, his intention is to create a safe, fun setting where a child can explore his or her musical nature. www.moonsetmusic.com.

 

Brad Carter

Guitar, Banjo

Teaches at Dusty Strings:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Ages taught: All adults

Levels taught: All levels

Teacher Biography: Brad Carter plays guitar and banjo and loves to teach music in several styles, including bluegrass, old-time (clawhammer), folk, and more. Some of his original tunes have been featured on NBC sports videos, and he plays around the Northwest with acoustic pop group Max Gross Weight and Seattle bluegrass mainstays Dysfunction Junction. Brad gears his teaching to each student's musical goals. He likes to work with students on often-overlooked issues of technique, including awareness of and freedom from muscle tension. He takes pride in helping students learn how to improve their playing on their own and teach themselves. www.myspace.com