Jack Uppling
About
I play guitar, upright & electric bass, and piano. I've played in multiple bands throughout my life. I moved to Seattle with my band from Ann Arbor in 2016. We played Indie Psych Rock and were influenced by bands like Talking Heads, The Strokes, and David Bowie. We had the privilege of recording a single with Steve Albini(Nirvana) and an EP with Gordon Raphael(The Strokes). We toured the east coast multiple times before deciding to make a change and move out to Seattle. I've performed at such venues as The Crocodile, Tractor Tavern, and Neumos in Seattle, St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit, and Piano's in Manhattan.
I graduated from film school in Michigan before moving to the west coast. I wrote and directed several short films and entered them into film festivals all over the country. My love of film and music influence each other constantly. I love telling stories through my songs. I'm excited to help people figure out how to play what it is they're passionate about. I've run into so many roadblocks throughout my time creating music, and I feel that I can relate and help with most of the problems you may be facing with guitar or songwriting.
While teaching, I believe that a relaxed and comfortable environment should be the top priority. My approach depends on the student. I've seen all kinds of learning styles and have learned how to handle a variety of them, and listening is the most important part. That being said, I generally like the student to walk away from each lesson with an exercise or scale of some kind, as well as something fun like a song they never thought they could attempt. Usually I feel the need to remind students of the pressures of long practices times and how they can be hurtful and lead to no practice at all. I also like to let students know how much easier it can be to learn a new instrument if you give your self a break and take things slow. Realizing how much work your brain can do overnight can be very helpful when learning something new. Lastly, I feel very comfortable with music theory and love teaching it, but never push it on anyone.
As well as playing in bands most of my life, and years of experience writing, recording, and mixing, I have taken private piano and composition lessons from professors at The University of Michigan and The University of Washington.
I have taught privately for over 10 years. I have have teaching experience at a children's school in Kirkland, WA called the Rockory and teaching students of all ages at Guitar Center. I now teach guitar, bass, piano, and ukulele.
For children and anyone wanting to read music, I love using the Mel Bay guitar series. The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is also great for a variety of different sight reading pieces. Over the years I've also accumulated a good amount of pdf diagrams and charts that I love using for scales, modes, arpeggios, chords, and anything else. I use a guitar decathlon that I like using for my more advanced students.
I love composition and I'm always excited when a student is interested in songwriting. It's very easy for me to incorporate that into lessons.