Colby Ostheimer
Lesson Feesfrom $30.00 / 30 Minutes
Promotions Available
About
I am a multi-instrumentalist and career musician of over a decade. Born and raised in a mountain valley of Montana, I took to music at a young age. Surrounded by instruments, old records and cassette tapes, and siblings and parents who each played an instrument of their own, I was quick to decide that a life of music was the life for me.
After earning my Bachelor's Degree in Music Education in 2017, I moved to Bremerton, WA where I spent five years teaching in public schools. I have taught high school wind band, jazz band, middle school bands, orchestra, and choir, high school guitar, and elementary music.
I first started playing the saxophone in third grade, and by the time I was a senior in high school I had learned how to play the trombone, drumset, keyboard percussion, and marching percussion. When I started my degree at University I switched my main instrument to the Tuba under the stipulation that I meet a college level proficiency within the first semester! During my time at University I learned how to play all the common wind band and orchestral instruments and significantly improved my piano proficiency.
To supplement my income in college, I joined a gigging band as their drummer and played several nights a week for five years. I started singing background and harmony vocals from behind the kit, and eventually took on a set of lead vocals while drumming. As a guitar and bass player I have been hired for studio work by dozens of artists, and have performed live hundreds of times. I have played venues as small as tiny pool halls, historic venues like The Neptune Theater in Seattle, and large as state fairs and summer festivals. It doesn’t matter much to me what the gig is, so long as I am playing music.
I believe that music is something that all people can participate in, and I pride myself of being able to identify in each of my students the ways in which they can be successful with their instrument. My goal for each of my students is to get them making real music for themselves and for others. Whether it's casually playing ukulele on the back balcony or playing lead guitar in a band, I aim to get all of my students comfortable playing music often and well!
I let my students lead their journey to musical mastery. Students get to choose what to play, and I am here to help them sound how they want to sound. I strive to teach creativity, artful playing, musicianship, and most importantly, how to play with others. Music is more than a skill, it is a lifestyle!
Bachelor's Degree in Music Education - University of Montana - 2017
Master's Degree in Learning and Technology - Western Governors University - 2021
Washington State Teaching Certificate - Current
I am trained in many music teaching methods and will use a variety of approaches with all of my students. I will recommend texts on a case-by-case basis.
I have rehearsed and performed with a wide variety of groups and musicians. Some could not read music, some used Nashville numbers, some learned and taught by rote, some were college professors of music! All of these approaches to teaching and learning music are valid. I do believe that learning how to read and write standard notation is important to being a proficient musician, and will train each of my students using standard notation.