Pickering (Store) - Guitar Lessons

chris chiasson (Guitar, Bass Guitar)

Online Lessons:

Teaching Day(s): Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday

Chris is a seasoned journeyman musician who has been working in a wide variety of musical situations for the past 20 years. He has been teaching at Long and McQuade's Pickering location which also serves Ajax since 2013 and has a strong Theory foundation. His principle instruments are Guitar, Bass, Chapman Stick, and Voice. Chris enjoys teaching various styles, including Pop, R&B, Jazz, Folk, and some Classical performances.

Chris' rate is $27/30min lesson

darren white (Guitar, Ukulele)

Online Lessons:

Teaching Day(s): Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday

Darren has many years of experience as a guitar and music teacher as he began in 2001, and joined Long and McQuade's Pickering/Ajax location in 2017. He has generated an extensive background in private, one-on-one lessons. He enjoys teaching theory, technique, and song study, and his kind, friendly and supportive disposition makes learning fun. Darren has a unique perspective on the different applications of musicianship from his work in the film industry, scoring short films, and comedy sketches.

Darren's rate is $27/30min lesson

jerry ko (Guitar)

Online Lessons:

Teaching Day(s): Friday

Jerry is a teacher, composer, arranger, and performer who aims to spread the joy of creating and listening to music. He completed his Master’s in jazz composition at the nationally renowned University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in May 2023, and his BA in Music (First Class Honours) at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, where he was the recipient of the Prof. Jack O'Donnell Scholarship (2020). In addition to jazz, Jerry also plays rock/hard rock, pop, and classical. Some of his favorite bands are Coldplay, Green Day, Maroon 5, Linkin Park, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. His classical guitar study included ABRSM Level 3, and he teaches up to RCM level 8. As an educator, Jerry enjoys working with students with diverse interests and backgrounds, and he loves connecting with both young kids and adults through music. Working as a graduate assistant at UNC, he helped students in jazz and arranging courses, and to prepare for events in the jazz department. Jerry is also an award-winning composer. His pieces have been recognized by the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC), where he presented at the New Music Workshop Symposium in May 2022, and the first online New Music Workshop in October 2022. His arrangement of “The Scientist” by Coldplay has been recognized by the Downbeat Student Awards in 2023. His compositions and arrangements were regularly featured in concerts by the top big band, studio orchestras, and vocal jazz ensembles. In addition to the guitar, Jerry is also a classical pianist whose musical passion is to create unique sounds using the language of jazz and Western classical music!

Jerry’s rate is $28/30min lesson

michael miller (Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Songwriting)

Online Lessons:

Teaching Day(s): Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

Michael has been teaching guitar professionally since 1990. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music and holds a diploma for teaching Guitar with the London College of Music in England. He is a registered teacher with RCM and RGT and is the Canadian representative for the world renowned guitar diploma course RGT “The Registry of Guitar Tutors”. He is well skilled in Classical and Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Vocals, Theory, Harmony, Song Writing and MIDI recording. Michael is an accomplished music composer with numerous album releases. He has achieved radio & television airplay and international sales under the band names “Rapid Tears”, “Adrenalin” and currently “MJM”, the Michael J Miller Band.

Michael's rate is $27/30min lesson

neal davis (Guitar, Ukulele, Bass Guitar, Upright Bass, Theory, Composition)

Online Lessons:

Teaching Day(s): Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

Neal Davis is a graduate of the Humber College Jazz Performance program. He is a busy performer on Upright and Electric bass playing most styles of music. He teaches all levels from beginner to advanced on Guitar, Ukulele, Bass Guitar, Upright Bass, Theory and Composition. He has toured extensively across Europe and North America and has performed at many of the worlds top Jazz and Music Festivals. He is also busy in the Studio music scene playing on many recordings for clients as diverse as Sony Music Canada, Universal Records, Global TV, CBC, CTV, Discovery Television, ABC, History Television, TV Shows such as Saving Faith, Design for Living, The Young and the Restless and Movies for Dreamworks Inc. Neal is in demand as a educator having given countless workshops and masterclasses for Teachers and Students alike for the Durham District, Toronto District and York Region School Boards, Humber College, Jazz School University of Lucerne Switzerland, Royal Danish Academy of Music Copenhagen, Jazz School Basel Switzerland.

Neal's rate is $27/30min Lesson

steve bravatti (Guitar, Ukulele)

Online Lessons:

Teaching Day(s): Saturday

Steve’s main instruments are acoustic guitar, classical guitar, and electric guitar. He studied classical guitar at York University, and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours degree. Steve enjoys singing, performing, and songwriting. He’s interested in a wide range of styles such as rock, punk, ska, reggae, and classical. With over 10 years of teaching experience with students of all ages, Steve takes a well-rounded approach and shows students the different ways they can learn to play and understand music. He has helped many students prepare for RCM classical guitar exams and other performances. He’s also interested in music subcultures and how music relates to people’s lived experiences. Steve enjoys teaching and seeing people connect with music that speaks to them, and is excited to teach students how to play the songs that they love and introduce them to new songs & sounds!

Steve's rate is $27/30min lesson