Telesmar Sanchez

When I begin teaching a new student, I like to ask about their previous experience with music and the guitar, what music they're interested in learning, and (most importantly) what their goals are in music. Depending on the answers to those questions, we may start doing anything from learning how to play a major scale, to writing our first song, to jamming and improvising over chord progressions. Every student is different not only in what they want out of music, but also in what learning material will inspire them the most to develop an intimate relationship with their instrument. My main goal with a new student is discovering what teaching material creates a creative spark to explore music.

I have over 7 years of teaching experience with students of all ages and skill levels. I've taught all sorts of styles as well as all areas of music theory depending on what the student wants to learn, including harmonic progressions, scales, improvisation, and other aspects of composition and performance. I was also a member of the teaching staff at Allegra Music Academy from February 2022 to July 2023. As a guitarist, I have been playing guitar for nearly 20 years. I began for the first 12 years or so as a classical guitarist before focusing primarily on jazz music from 2013 to the present. I have a bachelor's degree in jazz guitar performance from the University of Texas at Austin and I an MFA in jazz guitar studies from CalArts. I have played hundreds of gigs in Austin, Los Angeles, and New York City. In case you want to hear what my music sounds like, I have an EP of original music on Spotify and other streaming platforms entitled "Cosmic Music" as well as a YouTube channel where I occasionally upload videos of various performances (the channel name is "Telesmar Sanchez" for those who are curious).

My interest in becoming a guitar teacher primarily grew from my personal music studies under different guitar teachers over the course of my life. I've observed firsthand how important a private music teacher can be in making music liberating, inspiring, and gratifying. I've also unfortunately experienced how, without the right mentorship and support from one's teacher, music can easily feel confusing, overwhelming, and even stressful for aspiring musicians. Ultimately, I became a teacher because I want to have a positive impact on students beyond showing them how to play the guitar through contributing to their self-confidence and helping them discover their unique artistic voices.

I would say that many teachers focus on teaching students how to play their favorite songs and guitar solos while neglecting to teach the creative aspects of music. Being able to create, whether that's through improvising a blues solo or writing a singer-songwriter piece, is by far the most valuable and fulfilling element of music for me (and probably the majority of active musicians in the world). I recommend that anyone interested in music makes sure that their teacher provides the tools to jam, compose, solo, and create beyond just how to replicate other people's playing.