Andrea Nortje
About
Hi! I'm Andrea, a music teacher from sunny South Africa. I have been playing/teaching guitar & ukuele for 20 years
University of South Africa (UNISA) – Degree in Classical Guitar and Music Theory (2011-2013)
Formally educated in classical guitar and music theory.
Guitar Man – Instructor (2016-2019)
Taught private guitar, ukulele, bass and theory lessons at a local music school.
Presley's Place Music School – Founder and Instructor (2019-Present)
Founded and currently run my own little music school, providing guitar/ukulele/theory instruction to students in my local community.
Online Guitar Instructor (2020–Present)
Established a successful online guitar teaching practice on another online platform, consistently maintaining one of the platform's strongest-performing profiles. I am a "Top Rated" seller and am listed as "Student's Choice." My teaching profile has accumulated over 370 student reviews, with a 5-star overall rating.
Live Performance and Session Musician (2016-Present)
Performed with numerous local bands and worked as a stand-in session musician across the North-Westen province of South Africa.
"The Sparrows" and "Selling the Drama"
Played for these local bands as a guitarist. These two are my most notable groups who have a social media following. These experiences contributed to my development as a performing musician and broadened my practical experience working with other musicians and bands.
Teaching Style
My teaching approach is flexible, practical, and tailored to each student's individual goals, musical interests, and current ability. I believe that learning music should be both rewarding and enjoyable, and that students make the best progress when they understand what they are learning and why.
Lessons can cover the fundamentals of guitar playing, chord progressions, fingerpicking and fingerstyle techniques, rhythm, music theory, and learning specific songs. I break down challenging concepts and musical passages into smaller, manageable steps, helping students develop their skills and confidence at their own pace.
I also encourage students to explore the music they love. Whether your goal is to learn your favourite songs, improve your technique, understand music theory more deeply, or develop your own musical ideas, lessons can be adapted to suit your interests. I aim to create a relaxed and encouraging learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and discovering their own musical strengths.
Curriculum
I do not require students to follow a single textbook or fixed syllabus. Instead, I select learning materials according to each student's level and goals. These may include guitar tablature, chord charts, written exercises, music notation, and song arrangements appropriate to the student's abilities and interests.
Where appropriate, I can prepare or adapt written musical examples to help students understand specific techniques or work through challenging passages. I encourage students to bring songs they would like to learn, as working with music they genuinely enjoy can make practising more motivating and rewarding.
Students do not need to purchase a particular method book before beginning lessons. We can discuss suitable resources together and build a learning plan that makes sense for their individual needs.
Credentials & Affiliations
I am an experienced guitar instructor with a background in online guitar teaching, music arrangement, and composition. Alongside teaching, I create original fingerstyle guitar arrangements and produce professional guitar tablature and sheet music. I also run JaneDoePlays, a YouTube channel dedicated to showcasing my arrangements and making guitar music more accessible to players through instructional videos
My practical experience spans guitar technique, fingerstyle playing, music theory, composition, and adapting musical pieces for guitar.
I bring both a teaching and arranging perspective to my lessons, helping students develop their playing skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the music they enjoy.
