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About
Lessonface's 2021 Teacher of the Year for Flamenco and Classical Guitar, Leah loves introducing flamenco guitarists to the rhythms and melodies of southern Spain and guiding classical players as they develop their technique and repertoire. She also enjoys guiding beginners in Loog, fingerstyle, and acoustic guitar (ages 6 & up, please).
Upcoming 2023 group classes:
Exploring Flamenco: Malagueña and Colombiana starts June 4th
Exploring Flamenco: Tientos and Sevillanas starts September 10th
Music Theory for Guitarists starts September 10th
Beginner 3-String Loog Guitar for Kids starts September 10th
Based in Seville Spain, Leah is a native of Richmond Virginia, where she studied classical guitar at Virginia Commonwealth University. In Richmond, Leah performed extensively as a soloist and in classical and world music ensembles. She founded and led a flamenco-inspired ensemble and co-directed and performed in VCU's Flamenco Festival during its nine-year run. She also played in the Portuguese fado group Fado Nosso and the Richmond Guitar Quartet (classical guitar). Leah moved to Seville, Spain in 2013, where she studied flamenco guitar at the Fundación Cristina Heeren. She has since made performing flamenco guitar and teaching online at Lessonface her two primary pursuits. She performs regularly with flamenco singers and dancers in Seville and travels to the USA and abroad for courses and performances.
Lessons with Leah are positive and productive, and she adapts her teaching to give each individual the kind of instruction they need to enjoy the guitar and develop musically. She has been teaching for over ten years and gives careful thought and attention to her students' needs and interests when planning their curriculums.
Leah specializes in flamenco and classical guitar and loves working with students of all levels, absolute beginner to advanced, in these genres. Flamenco guitar lessons concentrate on learning the basics of flamenco technique, understanding flamenco rhythm, and exploring repertoire in a variety of flamenco 'palos' (musical styles). Classical guitar lessons center around learning and refining classical guitar technique, approaches to interpretation, and building a well-rounded and interesting repertoire that includes pieces from many styles and eras.
Leah also enjoys teaching acoustic guitar to beginning and intermediate players of all genres - folk, fingerstyle, etc. For adult students, Leah arranges a flexible curriculum that follows the student's interests. She typically dedicates half the lesson to topics of technique and theory that apply to student's interests, and the other half to learning songs of their choice. Leah works well with children ages 8 and up and adapts her teaching to give students what they need to learn best. She moves patiently through the fundamentals and lays out clear goals for practice time between lessons.
Upcoming Group Classes with Leah
Reviews from Group Classes
Spanish Fingerstyle Guitar with Leah Kruszewski
Liga V. on March 16, 2021
My son has been taking group lesson since January and is having a lot of fun learning a new song every week. Thanks so much for this opportunity!
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Rhythm and Rasgueos for All Guitarists
Neil G. on May 9, 2021
exciting and challenging new tools. Looking forward to the next class.
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Spanish Fingerstyle Guitar with Leah Kruszewski
Hayes D. on July 27, 2021
Leah is very attentive. She gives you multiple chances to understand what she`s talking about. She gives examples at the beginning of the class, explains how to do what she is teaching, takes questions, excepts different interpretations and points of view, and gives students a chance to play. She also gives examples at the end, first playing slowly, and then faster, so that we really get to hear the piece and appreciate its potential. Thanks Leah!
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Exploring Flamenco: Fandangos de Huelva and Tarantos
Eric F. on September 19, 2021
This was a fantastic lesson today! Leah's pace was just right for my playing ability--she want slowly enough so that I could keep up and yet not too slowly, thus keeping things challenging. I like the way she always demonstrates how to play things in a basic way and then shows us a "fancier" more musically interesting way to play it. Very much looking forward to next class!
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Loog Guitar for New Musicians - Loog Level Zero
Maxime S. on January 30, 2022
great class, thanks Leah! Maxime feels it harder to follow the beat when it is super slow. no patience! See you next class
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Music Theory for Everyday Guitarists 1
Ami S. on January 16, 2022
This class was worth every moment! Leah is so knowledgeable and covers an impressive amount of material in this course. My musicianship was taken up several levels by the material in her course. I highly recommend any interested guitar player to roll up your sleeves and check out this value-packed class.
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Loog Guitar for New Musicians - Loog Level Zero
Verified Student on January 16, 2022
Leah was AMAZING!!!
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Exploring Flamenco: Farruca and Guajira
Jack B. on January 16, 2022
Very informative and a challenge for me
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Exploring Flamenco: Farruca and Guajira
Eric F. on January 16, 2022
As always, it was a real privilege to be in this group! Leah's teaching style is perfect--so much is covered in each lesson, but never at a pace that's too overwhelming. She has a wonderful sense of where we are, which must be very difficult, as everyone's at a different playing level. We are encouraged to ask questions and to share answers as well as play something if we so choose. Besides all these points, I'd just like to mention how incredibly helpful it is to review the recordings from each week's lesson. I'm really looking forward to the next class, beginning May 1--meanwhile, I've got plenty of material to practice!
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Exploring Flamenco: Farruca and Guajira
Lou D. on January 16, 2022
As always, lessons with Leah are great, well explained and technically challenging. Since I've been taking lessons with Leah, my guitar playing has improved greatly.
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Exploring Flamenco: Seguiriyas and Alegrias
Verified Student on January 16, 2022
Challenging
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Exploring Flamenco: Fandangos de Huelva and Tarantos
Jarek L. on May 8, 2022
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Loog One
Verified Student on April 10, 2022
Leah does such a great job organizing the class and teaching the fundamentals. Our daughter has learned SO much and really enjoys herself each class.
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Flamenco for Beginning Guitarists
Verified Student on June 14, 2022
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Loog Guitar for New Musicians - Loog Level Zero
Verified Student on April 10, 2022
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Exploring Flamenco: Seguiriyas and Alegrias
Jarek on May 1, 2022
Great, challenging, sometimes, but fun. highly recommended!
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Exploring Flamenco: Seguiriyas and Alegrias
Paul M. on January 5, 2022
Really good with a lot of new and challenging pieces to learn. All were explained and taught thoroughly and access to the videos is very helpful
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Exploring Flamenco: Seguiriyas and Alegrias
Verified Student on May 1, 2022
Interesting with new palos, which will require more work to incorporate into my learning
Flamenco Guitar
(1) Flamenco Guitar Curriculum: what to expect from beginning and intermediate flamenco guitar lessons
(2) Flamenco Guitar Essentials: basic vocabulary, flamenco history, and listening guide
(3) Playlist for Flamenco Newcomers: a youtube playlist I have put together especially for beginning flamenco students, as it can be tricky to know where to start listening. The list features four common flamenco palos (musical styles) in a variety of contexts (solo guitar, flamenco singing, and flamenco dance).
Classical Guitar
My curriculum for classical guitar students varies considerably depending on a student's musical background and objectives. While I do have my favorite method books and repertoire sources, I need a couple of lessons to assess the most appropriate course of study. Beginners need not worry about having books and music on hand for your first lesson, we will get to it soon.
Practice Tips for All Students
Perfecting Your Repertoire: How to Practice Until You Can't Get It Wrong - tips for perfecting your music and getting ready to perform
Practice Like a Pro (even if you're not!) - tips on making the most of your practice time for students of all ages, levels, and styles
Music Learning Styles - make the most of the way you think about music
Resources for Adult Students
Advice for Adult Beginners of Guitar - you don't have to start young to become an excellent musician and to really enjoy your instrument
Managing Your Music Lesson Nerves - why you get nervous, and how to let go of those nerves in order to enjoy and get the most out of your lessons
Resources for Young Students and their Parents
Giving Your Child a Strong Start on the Guitar - how to give your kid a guitar and get them to keep playing it
Guitar 101 for Parents of New Guitarists - advice on very young learners (ages five to eight)
Encouraging Your Young Professional Part One (ages 9 to 13) - nurture your child's interest in music as you encourage their independence and self-discipline in their musical study
Encouraging Your Young Professional Part Two (high schoolers) - tools and tips to help your high schooler continue advancing on their instrument and prepare for university music study.
Twenty Composition Prompts for Young Guitarists - fun ideas to inspire young composers
Miscellaneous Articles and Resources
Tips for Music Teachers - how to cultivate a fun and successful lesson environment for your students
To Read or Not To Read - when to embrace written music and when to get away from the page
Why Does Our Musical Alphabet Have 12 Tones? - a beginner's guide to the physics and culture behind musical language
