as a kid, I wanted to be a rockstar, who doesn’t? and then i taught my first guitar lesson, sometime during college, and i haven’t looked back since

I still remember my first guitar lesson … it didn’t go very well. I was bad; like bad, bad. I was eleven years old and after unsuccessfully trying to convince my parents to enroll me in drum lessons, I found myself in a small, attic-like room above the local music shop. I figured if I couldn’t play drums in the punk band, like I really wanted to, guitar wasn’t such a bad second. My teacher, whom I’m still good friends with, shattered that illusion almost immediately as he handed me an acoustic classical guitar. The next thirty minutes, the memories of which are still seared into my brain, were rough. If natural guitar playing talent exists, I don’t have it, but for whatever reason, the guitar had gotten its hooks in me that day.

I dutifully played and practiced through high school and without much thought, I applied, auditioned and was accepted to a conservatory on a classical guitar scholarship. It was there, in an attempt to fund my Domino’s habit, that I taught my first guitar lesson. I can’t tell you what it was about teaching the opening riff of “Blister in the Sun” to that kid, but I knew in that instant that my journey with the guitar wasn’t just about me anymore. I knew in that instant that the passion I felt playing the guitar couldn’t touch how I felt about teaching.

After graduate school, a couple more guitar degrees, and a brief career as an academic, I found myself in Oakland. In 2016, I formed I.R. Guitar Lessons, a school dedicated to the guitar, its music, and its students. My vision was to create a place where music could be taught in a way that fostered creativity and inspired students to find their passion. A center for students of all ages, abilities, and styles to come together as one musical community. A place that helped students play at what ever level they wanted, so long as they loved what they did.

Since its inception, I.R. Guitar Lessons has become home to over a thousand students and their families.  I cherish the opportunity to share the joy of music making with my students and colleagues and I take great pride in all their accomplishments.

It’s truly an honor and an inspiration to be surrounded by such talent and dedication.