Teacher of the Month for May 2019 Emily Zimmer

Emily Zimmer is our Lessonface teacher of the month for May 2019! Emily has taught on Lessonface since September of last year, and since has been students' favorite and go-to teacher for guitar lessons, bass lessons and songwriting. We asked Emily to share some of her experience and words of wisdom! Watch the full interview on the Youtube video embedded below.

How did you manage to achieve your level of skill?

(00:13) I was a band kid, played the trumpet and picked up the guitar in my teenage years. I took a handful of lessons and kept on learning using guitar instructional books and magazines. I started playing out and recordings right away and picked up bass guitar and mandolin along the way. Years later I got an associate degree in Milwaukee area technical college and a BA from Carroll University and I continued to learn and practice and seek out new music knowledge as the years go by.

What would you recommend our future Lessonface pro-musicians to focus on?

(01:05) Focus on having a well rounded music experience. Try a little performing, recording, and songwriting. I think you should understand at least a little bit of improvisation techniques as well as a little bit of music theory. I know a lot of students run to the hills when I say “Music Theory” because they think it’s this grand complicated thing, but if you understand the basics it’s really going to open up your musical experience to a lot more opportunities and a lot more excitement. Also focus on having a good practicing technique, which means practice using strategies that’ll make your practice session productive and satisfying and actually have you improving and getting good results.

What is your favorite subject to teach?

(02:22) My favorite subject to teach changes all the time! Right now it’s probably songwriting. I think it’s really interesting to be able to analyze a song and see how an idea became a composition.

What projects are you currently working on?

(02:40) I’m working on a lot of things as always, I’m a very active session and touring musician (play guitar / bass / mandolin on recordings), I get hired to perform on live and touring acts both locally and internationally, one of my main original original projects is a rock band called the “Zimmer Effect” and we’re about to release a new EP we’ve just recorded. I’m also about to attend a huge songwriting collective event called Steel Bridge Songfest.

I’m always working on my teaching and educational pursuits. I have a Youtube channel full of guitar tutorials, called Fret Planet. You can find all about those projects at emzimmermusic.com, fretplanet.com and find the Zimmer Effect on all social medias.  

What are your biggest musical influences?

(3:55) My biggest musical influences are always changing as well, so hopefully I’ll just name the main few who have stuck with me my entire life: David Bowie, Prince, the Notorious B.I.G, Dave Matthewes band, Tim Reynolds, Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, and I grew up in the 90’s so anything 90’s hip hop and R&B and anything 90’s grunge and rock is definitely right up my alley. That being said though I play pretty much anything.  

Book a lesson with Emily Zimmer!