About
Welcome to my page! I’m Jessica T and I’ve been playing the guitar for 13 years. I have been performing in a band for 12 years, and currently I play lead guitar and sing backup vocals in the indie pop band Hotel Fiction. We have been touring the country as a band for the last year. We also spent the last two years writing and recording our first full length album (called Soft Focus), which we released in August 2021. I've played in venues around the country including Terminal West, The Grey Eagle, House of Blues Chicago, Music Farm, and we recently played Summerfest in Milwaukee. I just graduated summa cum laude with highest honors from the University of Georgia in May 2021 with a degree in psychology, a minor in statistics, and a music business certificate.
I teach blues, rock, pop, folk, and bluegrass. I have been teaching on and off for 10 years, but started teaching guitar more frequently during the pandemic. I have previously taught guitar online through Takelessons and Zoom. I also have taken lessons myself for approximately 10 years. I can teach anyone from absolute beginner to intermediate/slightly advanced, and any age! Depending on what you’re looking for, I can teach chords, scales, improvisation, covers of popular songs, and even some songwriting. I teach both acoustic and electric guitar. I myself have also taken lessons for many years, and I continue to periodically take lessons to make sure I am challenging myself and learning. Playing guitar is one of my favorite feelings, and at this point my instrument feels like an extension of myself. I’m excited to share my love of music with you and inspire you to challenge yourself and reach your goals!
The first time I picked up a guitar I was eight years old. My dad taught me “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young, and from that day on I was instantly inspired to keep learning the instrument. I started taking bluegrass lessons on an acoustic guitar, and for my ninth birthday I got an electric guitar and began learning from a blues teacher. My guitar was bigger than I was (not kidding!) but I kept at it. Every week my teacher would host “jams” at a restaurant in Atlanta where we performed for customers, strangers, and family. It was the best reason to practice, and usually the jams were full of improvisation which improved my skills very quickly. The weekly blues jams made me fall in love with the community music creates and the bonds we share with each other through music.
When I start teaching a student, I always first ask what they're looking for in a teacher, and what they're hoping to get out of lessons. I also want to know what motivates my students to learn/play music and keep practicing, so that I can help them reach their goals. I like to lay out specific milestones that they can reach and feel good about. After getting an idea of my student's preferences and goals, I make a personalized lesson plan that I can present to students. I'm also a huge supporter of playing live music and playing with friends to help students stay motivated. My favorite part of music is the community it creates, and I want to help my students find that community and feeling of playing music with other people. In every lesson I lay out what we will cover at the beginning, and review material we covered in previous lessons. I always love to send students home with action items to practice for the next week and review them during the next lesson. Overall my style is laid back but enthusiastic.