Sam is a dedicated music instructor with over 20 years of experience and a passion for teaching. He studied Jazz Performance at The University of Oregon and Composition and Guitar at the University of Washington. Sam has been teaching professionally for 7 years, specializing in Jazz, Classic Rock, Blues, and Rap. His teaching style is student-driven, focusing on individual goals and interests. With extensive experience in playing, producing, mixing, and recording music, Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to his students, constantly seeking new music to inspire and guide them.
I teach guitar, bass, music theory, songwriting, beatmaking, and home recording. *pretty much whatever is involved in learning how to make your own records!*
One of the main reasons I teach is because I really enjoy it. Helping people make new discoveries and hone their craft makes me happy. It’s a real privilege to be in a position where I can help guide people along their musical paths, because although learning music is really exciting, it can also get overwhelming. I love being there for my students to answer questions and stoke curiosity! Teaching also helps me get deeper into the music because as a teacher, it gives me the opportunity to reflect and look at musical ideas over and over again in new ways. It’s a win win for both me and my students, for sure.
I've studied Jazz Performance at The University of Oregon on saxophone and the University of Washington for composition and guitar. I play all genres, with special interests in Jazz, Classic Rock, Blues and Rap music. I've produced, mixed and recorded my own music for 10 years, played in countless bands and held down weekly gigs since I was 11. I've been teaching music professionally for 7 years.
For my teaching style, I let my students guide our course of study through their own interests, curiosities, and individuality. Oftentimes what that looks like is they’ll give me their goals and then I’ll lead them along a plan to achieve them. You want to shred? We can do that! Do you want to learn to play by ear? Let's do it. Do you just want to explore and hear new stuff? I've been playing music for over 20 years, and even as I write this, I'm listening to one of my favorite artists who I just discovered last week. I'm always searching for new music to share with my students to help them grow.
I get creatively inspired by both things inside and out of music. Inside of music, I just love listening to all types of records, from old to new. Sometimes I’ll get really into an album and exclusively listen to just it for several weeks. Outside of music, I love visual arts and fashion. For example, lately I’ve been really into Lee Krasner and trying to recreate some of her paintings with oil pastels. I also make and design my own clothes from time to time. For my well being, I like to surf and backpack. Doing stuff outside of music really helps me when I step back into the studio.
