Gary Petersen
Wilmette, IL
" Welcome to my Site..."
Services: Guitar
- $2530 min
- 0Classes Taught
- 1Recommendations
I began learning to play the guitar in 1963, singing and playing folk music and Beatles songs in group lessons. I continued with private lessons, learning how to improvise rock'n'roll solos. I organized a guitar-based band in grammar school and our band was featured in school functions. I studied music composition at New Trier High School during the 1970s and began to study classical guitar at the Music Center of the North Shore. I majored in classic guitar performance at University of Illinois' School of Music and played with the university jazz band. I performed for the U. of I. string faculty and earned my bachelor of music performance degree in 1980. I worked with Pogo Sound Studios in Champaign, IL, and taught for the university. At the Old Town School of Folk Music, I taught private and group lessons. I love all kinds of guitar music and continue to learn new ways to teach with every student.
Student Recommendations
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Christopher L. April 19, 2012
"I can't say enough about Gary as a guitar player and teacher. My wife and I only had minimal experience with guitar, each playing just a little bit as kids, when we started taking lessons from Gary. We were basically beginners. Drawing on his many years of experience playing and teaching guitar, Gary has been able to teach us techniques that we never would have learned on our own. Right away Gary was able to get a feel for the types of songs we wanted to learn, and crafted our lessons and practice plans to enable us to have success. Gary understands that we are busy professionals, and don't have the endless hours every day to practice as much as we'd like, so he has taught us how to be efficient with the time we do have to get the most out of our practice time. And we have yet to find a song that we wanted to learn that Gary couldn't quickly figure out and teach us simply by listening to the recording. After a little over two years of taking lessons with Gary, my wife and I can't believe how far our playing has come. The world of guitar playing that Gary has unlocked for us has truly enriched our lives, and I can hardly believe that we've progressed to the point that we are preparing to play our first live on-stage performance in the near future! If you're looking for a guitar teacher, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player, whether you're young or more advanced in age, I very confidently recommend Gary. Gary is talented, intelligent, fun, and very accommodating. If you want to learn how to play or improve your skill, give Gary a call! "