Robert Ra

Robert started teaching himself guitar at age 12 while his family drove from Pennsylvania to California in a van. He played violin in grade school, majored in chemistry at San Jose State University, and continues to study piano. He has studied guitar with classical and jazz teachers, but really fell in love when he learned to play Rush songs on his first electric guitar. He started teaching guitar while still in high school, and considers teaching as essential to his own musical journey as practicing is to his students. His formative musical experience came while playing for five years with his teacher’s band, based in the foothills near Yosemite. They performed and recorded all original songs of classic rock inspired “prog/jazz/space-rock” in California’s Central Valley. Creativity, musical exploration, and expressive freedom were the band’s guiding principles (read: lots of long jam sessions!); and he learned that it’s just as important to create space and feel what you play as it is to be technically proficient. Robert believes that whether you do it with 2 chords or 22 sweeps per minute, it’s possible for anyone to discover the joy of making and sharing music through playing the guitar. I am forwarding my bio to you in response to your listing on your website. I taught private guitar lessons for five years in the late eighties and early nineties before embarking on a hotel career; and have been giving lessons for the past 3 years in the Raleigh area. I have been playing for over 25 years and have a firm foundation in theory and technique as well as an understanding of how to communicate my knowledge and skills to students eager to learn in a style tailored to their individual needs and personalities. Currently, I am studying classical piano and theory. My training experience in a corporate environment has rounded out my coaching and communication skills. I feel that these combined with a passion for music would qualify me as an instructor to individuals in guitar playing. I am eager discuss with you my qualifications in as well as the details of the available position.