One of the great pleasures of being a musician, for me, is teaching. It is something I have done for a very long time, and, I continue to have the privilege of working with students of all ages and levels of development. I truly enjoy working with beginning students as well as working with students aiming to be professional musicians. I also enjoy coaching musicians who play instruments other than the guitar, as the principles of making music apply regardless of instrument. My main teacher and music mentor for many years was cellist Janos Starker and I also had lessons with violinists, pianists, composers and others, all on the guitar.
Somewhere along the way I came to the understanding that what goes on internally in the mind of the player must take precedence over getting the "right notes." Playing music is a wonderful form of integrating body, mind and spirit. When this integration happens, one discovers "right notes" are a natural by-product of aiming for this integration. This is the approach I take for my own playing as well as pointing my students to that place of self-discovery. Playing music should be joyful. This joy is only truly possible when these things are in balance.