Joshua Sideras

I am a recent graduate from Berklee College of Music, majoring in Music Production and Engineering. Even though I am fresh out of college, I have had teaching experience since 2019, giving private lessons to all age groups, in person and remote. I am currently an after school guitar and ukulele teacher at New Covenant School based in Arlington, MA, teaching students ages 4-13. I am very responsive and care about each students individual progress, and am willing to go the extra mile to help students succeed. I have also taken guitar classes with some of Berklee's finest guitar professors, giving me the knowledge and tools to teach efficiently and effectively.

My teaching approach meets the student at the level they are. Every one has different tastes and preferences in music, so I do my best to balance preference with the fundamentals, resulting in a fun yet productive learning environment.

A typical lesson plan consists of:

1. Warm up drill: Finger-picking/plectrum exercises, left/right hand warm ups, scales, arpeggios

2. Sight reading: Working on fretboard fluency and note reading

3. Chord learning: Learning new chord shapes, and learning how to create your own chord progressions

4. Song learning: Chosen by student or assigned

This is a basic outline of a lesson, however what sets my teaching apart is that I am flexible with the students way of learning. I am well versed in finger-style and using a pick, so can teach techniques that will cater to both, giving the student the opportunity to explore different genres and be diverse & adaptable in their playing.

My lessons are great for beginners in all age groups, and for guitarists who play, but need that extra push to help them break their plateau and build inspiration.