TEACHING

Besides my activity as a guitarist, composer, and improviser, I’m also very active as an educator in the NYC metropolitan area, working as guitar instructor for different music schools as well as teaching privately.

Teaching Approach:

I take pleasure in inspiring my students to share my excitement and enthusiasm for guitar and music. I am very passionate about helping students achieve their goals and aspirations.

Apart from applying the pedagogical approaches common to standard music education, I also employ my own personal teaching philosophy that focuses on helping my students find their voice on the instrument, enabling them to question everything they learn and think for themselves.

By dissecting the fundamentals of music and guitar into small reachable but challenging goals, I make learning an engaging, fun, and rewarding process. I am also regularly adapting my approach based on the students’ progress.

I am confident that after just one lesson, whether you’re a complete beginner or want to take your guitar playing to the next level, you will see that my teaching approach will help you reach your whole potential.

Lessons are taught in person but also via Skype or Facetime, and students from instruments other than guitar are welcomed too.

Contact me at alvaro@alvarodomene.com.

 

The website Thumbtack awarded me with “Best Guitar Instructor” in the NYC metropolitan area in 2015 and 2016.

guitar studio

 

Some student testimonials:


“I have been extremely fortunate to have found Álvaro as a guitar/music instructor. Within 2 minutes of meeting him you can see the passion for life and music flowing out of him. He has a natural gift of meeting you wherever you are on the path of your musical journey, and inspiring you to move forward. For years I have been stuck in the same old rut practicing the same old things, getting better, but it seemed so slowly. Within 3 lessons my playing, and understanding of music grew faster than 6 months of practicing on my own.

Álvaro molds your lesson around who you are. He has a way of coaxing emotional content out of your playing. If you are looking for a guitar/music instructor look no further. Teachers of this caliber, talent, and demeanor are few and far between.” Ken.


“I cannot say enough about Álvaro. First of all, I have been practicing on my own for about 4 years and have had experience with other teachers. I chose Alvaro to give me a strong musical base to become a professional musician, because he is by FAR the most knowledgeable and experienced teacher I’ve ever encountered. And I shopped around with several teachers for a while!

Álvaro is simply the best teacher I’ve come across for many reasons. First of all, his playing is sublime. But what makes Álvaro so exceptional are his personal attributes, especially his genuine care and passion to make you a better player. I came to him with goals, and not only did he meet me fully with my ambitions, but he encouraged me to go beyond them! He immediately began charting out a logical roadmap of HOW he will work with me to get there and also go beyond. He is someone you can absolutely trust to give you correct information and constructive, purposeful feedback. He cuts through the BS and conflicting information/opinions you find in the guitar universe, and tells you very simply WHAT is correct and WHY it is correct. If you are interested in guitar as a hobby or as a profession, you, like me, will want to be able to have faith in the instructor; otherwise, you could be wasting time learning from a teacher who could be making your playing worse!

I wish I had found him sooner. The last thing I’ll say is that he is extremely positive, down to Earth, supportive, and fun. You can tell big time that he loves to teach! He treated me as an equal, and I got none of that arrogant, superior, overly critical demeanor you find with so many teachers. Even when he gave me feedback, I felt confident and reassured in my ability. He is simply awesome. I highly, highly recommend Álvaro!” James


“Álvaro is an amazing teacher! His intuition and intellect are beyond measure, and he combines them to create an individualized approach for each student as an individual. The lessons I took from Álvaro were more productive than 99% of the other music lessons I have taken over my lifetime. And, he makes the lessons fun. He knows how to listen to you as his student, and he cares about your unique learning style. You could not go wrong choosing Álvaro as a teacher.” Diane


“I am seeing Álvaro for guitar lessons. I’ve been playing for many years, but never had the training or clear understanding of what I needed in order to achieve my goals.

2 lessons in with Álvaro, and he has determined my primary areas for growth and provided me with an achievable goal for each subsequent lesson. He is wonderful to work with, patient, and shows a genuine enthusiasm for what he does. I would highly recommend Álvaro to anyone looking to bolster their musicianship.” Darryl


“Álvaro has a great talent to communicate complex concepts into easy to understand lessons. You should contact him!” Matt

“I have received lessons from Álvaro in technique, improvisation and harmony many many times. In person and via Skype. He goes directly to what is important and you never feel wasting your time in unnecessary subjects. An absolutely pro-musician and amazing teacher. You won’t regret it!” Lionel