Cole Blouin

Introduction: I have been playing guitar for 12 years, and in that time have participated in a wide range of musical experiences, from playing rock, bluegrass, and jazz in bands and combos through to high-level study at New England Conservatory, where I majored in Contemporary Improvisation and minored in Music Theory, and studied with Joe Morris, Hankus Netsky, and Stratis Minakakis, as well as at Oberlin College, where I studied jazz guitar with Bob Ferrazza, and at the Savannah Music Festival, where I worked directly with Julian Lage and Bryan Sutton. I am profoundly passionate about music not only as my own personal means of expression but also as a shared social experience and as an opportunity for others, of all ages and all skill levels, to experience joy and to grow as people. I believe that a good, encouraging, supportive teacher can not only help a student develop musical skills, but also gain self-confidence. I enjoy breaking down concepts - whether a chord progression, a scale, a melody, or something more advanced - into simple, digestible parts, which students can approach with a sense of discovery and agency. While I am capable of engaging with music theory, sightreading, etc (and I believe that these skills are important, and have a place in music pedagogy), I am a strong proponent of working by ear, and believe that a student’s ability to learn music from recordings and improvise will help them both to develop deeper insight into the music they most enjoy listening to and to have fun while doing it. I believe that, especially with older students, the student should have a lot of room to decide what it is they want to learn. With older students, I want to help them develop their own personal styles and their own repertoires, and to give them the technical, aural, theoretical, and conceptual tools to deeply engage with whatever the music is they are passionate about. I’m particularly enthusiastic about students who want to write their own music. I also understand that not every student is at a point in their development where they might be thinking this way - especially if they’re younger children! I am also comfortable teaching fundamentals. Ultimately, I just want to share my love for music with others. I also am comfortable teaching electric bass in rock and funk styles. I can teach beginner piano, songwriting, composition, production/recording techniques/mixing, and beginner voice. My pricing model can be adjusted according to need. Let's chat!