Music Time With Nick

Who is Nick?!

Hi! I’m Nick and I’ve been teaching music privately in Toronto for over 15 years. My primary instrument is guitar but I also teach harmonica, ukulele and intro piano. I also do guitar maintenance and basic repairs from my home in the Humber Valley.

I began my music journey as a teenager, taking private lessons from a local music school in North Toronto. In 2010, I got a job as a teacher at a music school and started doing guitar repairs and teaching full time.

My passion for music education and desire to hone my skills has led me to continue my studies over the years receiving a diploma from Harris Institute for Recording Arts; a degree from York University studying guitar/music theory and a masters in their fine arts program studying musicology; most recently I received certification in Orff 1 youth music pedagogy at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Oscar Peterson School of Music.

I’ve performed at weddings, parties and corporate events all over Ontario as a vocalist, harmonica player and guitarist with Supersonic Hearts band as well as with my own Rolling Stones tribute band of which I was the frontman. I also compose and perform music in the trio Blue Cougars.

In short: I love music and teaching music to others!

Teaching

Whether 5 years old or 70, my goal is always to study with my students. By this I mean I am learning about the students musical abilities and tastes and catering the lessons to them. In my experience, learning the rudiments of music through songs we love helps us enjoy practicing an instrument and experience fulfillment in the process. Through my student-focused approach, I enjoy helping students develop their own expression via their musical tastes. This means I’m always learning about new styles and genres too!

Lessons are $40 per half hour and can be video or in person at my studio. Schedule a recurring time by booking groups of 5 lessons.

Guitar Repair

Though I am not a woodworker, I have over a decade of experience in guitar maintenance and repair. I love examining each guitar’s unique character but most of all, I love to help people get their guitars up and strumming! With this in mind I am offering free guitar maintenance consultations from my home in the Humber Valley. If we determine I can fix it, my bench fee is $30.00 per half hour plus material costs. Most guitar maintenance issues can be fixed cheaper than you might expect!

Here's a video from my years at the music school demonstrating how I go about changing strings: How To Restring A Fender Stratocaster Guitar

Rock Method

I have begun creating a video course to help others interested in the ‘Rock’ genre. ‘Rock’ was the first music to really grab my attention, a genre that my formal institutionalized music education overlooked when I was a student. As a young person, I felt that ‘Rock’ was not taken seriously, making me self conscious about my passion for music. My goal is to illustrate that the Rock genre has much depth and presents an exciting path for people to explore both musical and physical expression.