A conservatory or University Music school has the responsibility to train the students to play at the professional level. This is a hard line for the school to walk, because the school itself is a business and they need the students to complete the degree and have a reputation that will draw in more students. You can’t make the standard so high that most people drop out, but also can’t just let people skate by without gaining the skills. Music school is the 2nd highest drop out or major change. Most people don’t realize the amount of practice and dedication required to complete a music degree. Most of time the training is on academic or very sophisticated music that doesn’t seem to be much of a money maker.
Classical Music: This is easier done in the classical world because the training is for the members of the orchestra to play impeccably. If the musician can’t read music or play perfectly in tune it’s easy to see/hear and hold the students to the standard of the European art music tradition.
So as a guitar player, a instrument that is typically not in the orchestra, there seems to be a very heavy focus on Solo Classical guitar music, but the context of the training is the same level of impeccability.
What’s missing in the typical Classical training is improvisation. The study of theory and harmony is typically geared towards the conductor giving orders to the musicians, not so much for the musicians to create on their own. Studying composition may be the exception to this, but it doesn’t usually train the musician on an instrument to the level where they can play effortlessly. More on improvisation later.
Jazz/Rock/Commercial Music performance
This is a tricky area to train people in because, someone can call themselves a “professional” in a lot of popular styles but not necessarily have lots of training or knowledge about the instrument.
I’ve done some playing with graduate students from USC and it was quite nice to be able to give a specific direction with musical terms and have them understand it and do it. Lots of “Studio Guitar” or Commercial Guitar Programs seem to set up the students with all the skills they need to GET STARTED as a professional guitar player.
Deep knowledge and ability to use Harmony and improvise lends itself to being a great person to work with in the professional world.

A hard pill for many people to swallow is that, Music school trains you understand and play music at the highest level, but it doesn’t typically teach you how to “work” or get hired.
I absolutely needed Music school because I knew that I wanted to make a career out of music, but I felt like an imposter doing gigs and not “knowing” what I was doing. In reality most people who have been playing for over 5 years do know what they are doing, but may not have the words to explain it. This is where the insecurity comes from. They make music but feel like they are imposters…

After working my ass off for 4 years and transforming myself into a great classical guitarist, I realized that I actually wanted to be an improviser and an electric guitarist.
The Classical training transformed my confidence. CONFIDENCE About my Ability to learn things.
- this was also the time period where I got into Martial Arts like Boxing and Jiujitsu. I saw I that with a routine I could transform myself. With the right focus over time, you can transform yourself.
It was a total shock to this Hawaii punk rock kid that all I had to do was practice everyday and have a clear path of what to learn. The training gave me the confidence to pursue anything, not just music. I learned that I can learn and after getting screamed at by professors, embarrassing myself 100s of times and rising to the occasion I knew to my DNA that I could learn and I could make a career out of playing the guitar.
The best training was actually getting gigs in the real world, not the university.


By the time one of my students has achieved “black belt” they’ve seen everything they need to see training wise. They’ve delivered and been validated by a teacher and program that is for real world skills.
So many people get turned off by lessons or theory or school because they can’t see the relevance to the music they actually want to make.
If you commit yourself to a program that will force you to transform your rhythmic awareness.
-Transforming your understanding of harmony and allow you to play without thought. You will know yourself in a new way.
-The training has a life of its own inside you and the gift you can give other people is priceless. The feeling of making music beyond thought and insecurity is something that money cannot buy.

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