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Hi, my name is Joel. I'm a guitar major at Virginia Commonwealth University - specifically, I study guitar performance. This is a degree some time in the making, as I briefly attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2006 before leaving for financial reasons. I spent a good portion of the next few years working off those costs in the restaurant industry, cultivating new skills, and rediscovering an interest in teaching and performing music.
I now have a growing private guitar studio of eight students in the larger Richmond area, and teach at an after-school church program (Bon Air) as well as a performing arts academy (Midlothian). When I can, I work at a local rock club on the side. I seek to be able to better educate my students by finishing school as soon as possible, and to put myself in a better position for whatever educational opportunities could come thereafter. If all goes according to plans, I can hopefully graduate this spring.
Unfortunately, as a result of the lack of transfer credits from Duquesne, combined with the required credits I've had to retake since coming to VCU, I've also run into a federal loan limit for an independent student. This is the short version. I owe VCU $2560 before I can register for what would be my final spring semester.
First, I invite you to check out any of my music accessible from my website . All of this material is free to listen to.
So, I wish to sort of make my intent clear. This is a tough thing to say, but I’m asking for any amount of help I can get from my community to help me register for classes one last time. Besides huge amounts of gratitude, I’ve been thinking of ways to give something back in exchange for any donations people can give. So:
First, for any donation. I'll be recording and giving out an EP's worth of my guitar repertoire for download off my website.
For a donation of $50, I'll give you a half hour guitar lesson in-person or over video chat on a song of your choosing. For $250 I'll play a performance wherever you want if it's near central VA.
Finally, for $100 or above, I will personally record a guitar tutorial video teaching you to play any song of your choosing. A video I made in 2007 about a guitar riff got 150,000 individual views, and generated a remarkably welcome response from a typically harsh YouTube crowd. Here’s that if you want to check it out:
Aerodynamic Lesson
Anyway. I made another video just a couple days ago for fun to kind of kick off this new idea, and make good on a promise to myself that I continue to show how to play cool (and at times unusual) songs on a beautiful instrument as another future direction to go in while building my career.
Todd Terje - Strand Bar Lesson
Music helps you grow. It's really powerful. There's a lot of fun in helping someone play a tune that they deeply connect with, and I think that enabling artistic self-discovery enriches a sometimes confusing world. I can only say thank you for any support, in any form. I hope I can develop and speak music to my fullest ability, and honor the perpetual kindness and support from my friends and family that has taken me this far at all.
I now have a growing private guitar studio of eight students in the larger Richmond area, and teach at an after-school church program (Bon Air) as well as a performing arts academy (Midlothian). When I can, I work at a local rock club on the side. I seek to be able to better educate my students by finishing school as soon as possible, and to put myself in a better position for whatever educational opportunities could come thereafter. If all goes according to plans, I can hopefully graduate this spring.
Unfortunately, as a result of the lack of transfer credits from Duquesne, combined with the required credits I've had to retake since coming to VCU, I've also run into a federal loan limit for an independent student. This is the short version. I owe VCU $2560 before I can register for what would be my final spring semester.
First, I invite you to check out any of my music accessible from my website . All of this material is free to listen to.
So, I wish to sort of make my intent clear. This is a tough thing to say, but I’m asking for any amount of help I can get from my community to help me register for classes one last time. Besides huge amounts of gratitude, I’ve been thinking of ways to give something back in exchange for any donations people can give. So:
First, for any donation. I'll be recording and giving out an EP's worth of my guitar repertoire for download off my website.
For a donation of $50, I'll give you a half hour guitar lesson in-person or over video chat on a song of your choosing. For $250 I'll play a performance wherever you want if it's near central VA.
Finally, for $100 or above, I will personally record a guitar tutorial video teaching you to play any song of your choosing. A video I made in 2007 about a guitar riff got 150,000 individual views, and generated a remarkably welcome response from a typically harsh YouTube crowd. Here’s that if you want to check it out:
Aerodynamic Lesson
Anyway. I made another video just a couple days ago for fun to kind of kick off this new idea, and make good on a promise to myself that I continue to show how to play cool (and at times unusual) songs on a beautiful instrument as another future direction to go in while building my career.
Todd Terje - Strand Bar Lesson
Music helps you grow. It's really powerful. There's a lot of fun in helping someone play a tune that they deeply connect with, and I think that enabling artistic self-discovery enriches a sometimes confusing world. I can only say thank you for any support, in any form. I hope I can develop and speak music to my fullest ability, and honor the perpetual kindness and support from my friends and family that has taken me this far at all.