Hi, my name is Elijah, I’m a professional and experienced guitarist and teacher. In my lessons, I like to focus my attention on what I consider to be absolute necessities, which would include what I like to call 'street music theory', a sharp sense of rhythm, and a developed musical ear. I also like to focus on more psychological elements such as confidence in the student, presence, and an overall positive attitude. What’s most important to me is that my students are inspired and always connected to their initial love of music through the guitar. I do this by teaching students their favorite songs as well as studying the nuances behind the songs they love so much. For example, I might ask a student “What’s your favorite part?” and then together we’ll discover why and learn as much as we can from the particular student's own set of songs. After that, their homework might be to compose a melody based on a few of the melodically rich phrases within the song. This playful and creative method is one example of what I like to call ‘sponging’ because you are literally soaking up your favorite music and using it as a means for your own creative expression and playing style. With over 15 years of experience playing guitar, writing songs, performing, and producing music and over 6 years of teaching students of all ages, I have been effectively turning beginners into confident guitar players and intermediate players into advanced. My lessons are customized to whatever goals the student wishes to achieve. I have a very quick ear so I can learn almost any song that the student wants to learn on the spot during the lesson and then begin teaching it to the student, which is always fun. all that being said, It is very important to me that I leave my students with a true sense of relaxed confidence in their instrument so that they can feel the music and express themselves creatively without having to think too much about anything that may otherwise be holding them back. I make sure that all the necessities are covered so that the student gets to a point where they can let loose in their playing and enjoy the creative freedom that they deserve.