Dan Ferman

Watch and listen as Dan performs his original song, "Summer in Stanzas"!

At the time of this recording Dan has only been playing guitar for four months! However, Dan doesn't come into this completely blind: he has spent a good number of years as a singer, performer and student of music. Dan fronts his own original acoustic act, "Traded Memories", and has already started gigging; all the while bolstering his catalogue of original music. The short amount of time Dan has gone from point A to point B is nothing short of amazing. He truly embodies the Samarai adage: "For every one thing know ten thousand things". The saying simply means to use your past experiences in life to help you with the task at hand. I think we procastinators and self-defeatists can learn a thing or two from Dan's work ethic.

Justin Shortridge

Watch and listen as Justin performs a short excerpt from Van Halen's "Eruption"!

Justin came to me about two years ago looking to take guitar lessons. He progressed very quickly in this short span of time: already fronting his own band as lead singer and guitarist as well as performing live in his local area. Justin is the perfect example of a guitarist who truly loves his art. He sees each struggle as an opportunity to improve and never complains about the difficulty of some of the things I've given him. Rather then complain, he channels that energy in a positive direction.

He has always had a natural talent for the instrument, and with the right direction and guidance I can see him becoming a very successful musician in the future.

Alyssa Clauss

Alyssa performs her original composition, "City Breeze".

Alyssa has primarily studied different songwriting concepts with me. As evident in her song, she has a wonderful sense of harmony and melody; building beautiful, atmospheric chords to help carry the emotion in her music. Alyssa is a very fast learner, and I've seen her apply new concepts and techniques to her own music extremely quickly. She fosters her own unique style, which is something musicians can struggle for years trying to develop. If she continues to nurture this it won't surprise me to find her CD in a music store the next time I'm browsing.

William Xocoy

ALLLLLL ABOARD! William plays, "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne.

At William's young age I am very impressed by his progress. When other kids are wasting their time on video games and TV he has choosen to develop his skills as a guitarist and musician. He is a sponge when it comes to all things guitar: he learns and applies everything very quickly. He can be very serious when he sets out to accomplish something, but his light-hearted nature makes it very enjoyable to teach him.

...and if he keeps this up I'll be taking guitar lessons from him!