FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
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 some basic chordal shapes, 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.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have over 5 years of teaching experience with students ages 6 to 60. 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 composition with respect to lyrical analysis, melodic and rhythmic concept/development . I have been a member of multiple teaching staffs such as Guitar Center, Impulse Music Co., and Pasadena Music Academy since July of 2022. I am Currently still actively teaching at Impulse Music Co. As an overall Musician I have had an extensive journey through multiple instruments. As a pianist, I studied classical piano for 10 years under the direction of Christina Kim, Julie Kim, and finally Dr. James Litzelman; the current director of the graduate program in piano pedagogy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. As my endeavors as a classical pianist ended, I began my current journey as a guitarist at age 12. I was self-taught and took few lessons but had one distinguished teachers which guided the curation of my portfolio for my undergraduate studies: Greg Vaughn. As for vocal performance, I have had the pleasure of working with a 50 person high school choir which toured internationally and had over 100 concerts a year. The sheer magnitude of performance and repertoire which needed to be memorized made for a formative musical experience. recently, I have attained a bachelor's degree in jazz performance from California Institute of the Arts. I have played hundreds of gigs both in Los Angeles and along the gulf coast of Mississippi as well as been apart of an original touring art rock duo which traveled as far north as Seattle and as far south as San Diego. In case you wanted to hear some samples of my playing, or original compositions, I have a YouTube channel where I occasionally upload videos of various performances (the channel name is "Sebastian Marulanda").
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
My interest in becoming a guitar teacher primarily grew from my personal music studies under various private guitar, piano, and vocal 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 my students and help them forge a deeper connection to the music they love, and there instrument(s) of choice.