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Guitar Teachers
Guitar Teachers
The Music Shoppe of Normal
Whether you're ready to get started with lessons or just want more information, please check out our Lesson Studio Contact Form.
Marita Brake
Guitar, Ukulele, Dulcimer & Songwriting Instructor | Normal, IL
If Marita isn’t a household name in Central Illinois, she should be! Her credits include performances for two presidential inaugurals, Carnegie Hall, projects for PBS and three CDs. She’s toured throughout the United States and Great Britain and brings that professional performance to her students. Her specialties include guitar, voice, songwriting, dulcimer and ukulele. Marita has taught at The Music Shoppe for over 30 years, teaching all levels and welcomes anyone at any age and level of experience. She teaches a variety of people and styles while covering all the important stuff. Her personal website can be found here.
Kirk Ellis
Guitar & Mandolin Instructor | Normal, IL
While attending Lincoln College, Kirk studied theory and composition, classical guitar and performed in various rock bands. He also received the award for the most improved musician. He received his Bachelors Degree from Illinois State University and studied under three different classical guitar instructors. Kirk has toured with various country/rock bands throughout the Midwest, opening for some of the biggest names in Country. He currently plays lead guitar, fiddle and sings harmony for the country/rock group, Brushfire. Kirk is the regional coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International, hosting monthly workshops on songwriting. Kirk teaches various styles such as: classic rock, country, classical, acoustic, heavy metal, blues, jazz and blue grass. He also teaches songwriting, theory, fiddle and mandolin.
Michael W. Hull
Classical Guitar Instructor | Normal, IL
Classical guitarist Michael W. Hull has played the guitar for more than forty years. “What started as a hobby quickly became a habit, fueled by an obsession with music. I began learning and just never stopped”--Michael.
Michael received the Bachelor's in Fine Arts/Music Performance from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He completed the Master's of Music Degree in Music (Performance) at Illinois State University, where he served as a Graduate Assistant. He has performed in the master classes of some of the world's most notable luminaries of the guitar, including Christopher Parkening, Ana Vidovic, Scott Tennant and many more.
Michael has performed at various locations and venues in the United States and abroad, including Illinois Wesleyan University, The University of Baltimore (where he held a brief residency, performing, teaching and premiering modern works for the guitar) and the Cultural House of Vileyka, Belarus (former Soviet republic). A versatile musician, he has played in the pit orchestra for Man of La Mancha, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Last Five Years and a broadway production of Spamalot.
Currently, in addition to a thriving studio at the Music Shoppe, Michael directs the Cassical Guitar Programs at Millikin University, Eureka College, Illinois Central College and Bradley University. He recently initiated Eureka's Jazz Band. His guitar ensembles have regularly performed at the prestigious annual event known as the Mid-America Guitar Ensemble Festival. He has hosted the festival at Bradley University on three occasions, where he conducted the festival orchestra and premiered modern guitar works. Many of his students have continued higher education as such prestigious institutions as The University of Illinois, Eastman School of Music and Southern Illinois University (Carbondale), earning Master's and Doctoral degrees.
Michael is the only certified Childbloom Guitar Program Director in the state of Illinois. This is his specialty—teaching guitar to children and youth, where they learn substantial skills, musicality, and recital and ensemble experience. Students may also take advantage of one of the world's best educational opportunities known as the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) Certificate Program. Students are assessed locally by a represenative of the conservatory and have the opportunity to win national and regional awards. Michael's students have achieved great success and performance opportunities through this program, including the National Gold Medalist in 2019 for Level 5.
Michael teaches all ages, privately and in small groups. He currently lives in Bloomington with his wife, Svetlana, children Nikolai and Evelyne and Willow the dog.
Erik Swanson
Guitar Instructor | Normal, IL
From my experience, I've found that developing a love for music and playing the instrument is the single biggest factor for success and so I've honed my approach to teaching to develop that love in my students. Everyone picks up the guitar for different reasons and has a different amount of time they're able to dedicate to it. I view my role as a guitar teacher to accommodate my students' interests and give the guidance to help them reach their goals.
A good teacher can offer many benefits - there is no lack of information on how to play; rather, there is often an overwhelming amount of information. If you're a beginner, having someone guide you down a path and helping you avoid making fundamental mistakes or developing bad habits can be invaluable. For more experienced guitarists, a teacher can explain and complex concepts and open you up to new things.
Much as a child learns to speak long before they learn about sentence structure, my approach with beginners is to learn to play and learn music without getting too bogged down in technical information. Learning an instrument doesn't work if its purely a chore, so I try to make the guitar fun and engaging as possible.
The guitar is used is so many different styles of music, and I've developed a large body of material to assist my students in their journey - from modern and classic rock, pop, acoustic folk, country, R&B and Soul, Blues, and Jazz. In any given week, I might teach a piece by J.S. Bach, a rock anthem by the Foo Fighters, an acoustic song by Ed Sheeran, a guitar solo by B.B. King, or a classic song by the Beatles or Led Zeppelin.
Once players develop fluency beyond the beginning stages and are able to learn new material on their own, I like to develop the skills needed to be a functioning musician. This will vary depending on the student since different styles of music naturally require different skill sets. A blues guitarist needs an ability to improvise and understand basic music theory while a classical guitarist must become fluent at reading music notation and developing a specific right and left hand technique.
I'm a native of Central Illinois and have a Bachelor's degree in Music from Bradley University, a Master's Degree in Classical Guitar from Illinois State University and a Doctorate of Music Arts from the University of Illinois. I currently teach jazz guitar at Illinois State University and have also served on the faculty at Millikin University (jazz and commercial music), Heartland College (general music), Lincoln Christian University (classical guitar) and Lincoln College (jazz and commercial music.)
Personal Website: EriksGuitarLessons.com
Rhonda Steidinger
Guitar Instructor | Normal, IL
Rhonda Steidinger attended Illinois Wesleyan University and has studied guitar under the instruction of Marita Brake, Studio Manager at The Music Shoppe. She has taught out of her private studio, “Strings and Keys” for 24 years where she has taught guitar and piano to individuals ranging in age from 4 to 68. She was an elementary teacher at Pontiac Christian School for 7 years and music instructor for 2 years. As a music instructor she taught recorder and guitar, facilitated music appreciation lessons, and organized spring and fall musical programs for ages Kindergarten through 8th grade. Additionally, Rhonda has been the guitar leader for her church worship team for 15 years. Rhonda’s flexible schedule allows time for home-schooled students to attend early afternoon and week day lessons. Her developed teaching experience will enhance your interest and appreciation for music through a guided learning process in a positive and fun environment.