Highly Experienced Guitarist/ Composer/ Producer offers music tutoring in Montreal. Limited Spots Available.

Methodology

When it comes to teaching music I am unique from some other teachers as I put a high emphasis on music listening and appreciation. In my opinion, in order to learn how to play, you must first have a listener relationship with some kind of music. I have had students come to me who have been taking lessons for a year or so from another teacher and haven't really improved, and when I ask them what kind of music they like, they tell me that they don't listen to any music at all. In every case this was the main contributing factor to their lack of improvement, as they didn't have a clear picture of what they actually wanted to get out of the instrument. Of course, I spend plenty of time teaching technique and theory and instrument -specific exercises, but it must be supplemented by real contextual musical experiences, which I take the extra step in facilitating in my lessons. When it comes to specific learning on the guitar, I make an effort to tailor materials to best fit the students learning style, and to their own personal goals/ aspirations on the instrument and music in general. It's essentially a different course of action with each student depending on their needs/ interests, which is why teaching can be so exciting and rewarding.

Background

I have been playing music in a professional capacity for about 8 years and have been teaching music for around the same amount of time. For the last 6 years I lived in Toronto, Ontario, where I earned a Bachelors of Music from Humber College and performed in a number of Toronto based bands. During this period most of the music that I was playing was Jazz, Ambient/ Noise, Indie and Rock. Most of these groups had the pleasure of playing numerous shows and engagements throughout Ontario and Quebec. During this time I did a lot of teaching both on my own and through institutions such as The National Academy of Music and Footprints Music. Aside from this I have also done a number of short contracts as a band member on Holland America cruise line. This gig was similar to a late-night show band gig in that we played new music every night without much of a rehearsal, coupled with dealing with the varying personalities of the guest entertainers who we were backing up. After the covid19 shutdown I decided to move to Montreal, I recorded an electro-acoustic album entitled "Modes of Connection", and I now have a folk project in the midst which I am spending most of my time on. I have also had the opportunity to explore thematic music as well as sound design during the quarantine, and have managed to put out some of that work on my Vimeo and Youtube page.

Rates

Rate for online lessons : $ 40/h

Rate for 5 hours of lessons : $170

Rate for 10 hours of lessons : $330

Lessons offered by Aidan

Individual

The lessons will be held

at their home

at your home

webcam

Taught subjects

Music reading
Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Classical Guitar
Rock Guitar
Jazz Guitar

Levels

All Levels

Aidan's Resume

Aidan Funston

Composer, Musician, Producer

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(concealed information)

I am a Montreal based musician, composer, producer and music educator with eight years of professional experience. I am looking to advance myself in the field of music production and audio engineering, as well as in music education.

Education

- Humber College Certificate in Commercial Music class of 2014
- Humber College Bachelor of Music class of 2019

Experience

Assistant Sound Engineer with CHS Studios under the direction of Roger Robinson as part of a high-school co-op placement. My duties were to assist in the set-up and tear-down of studio sessions, as well as performing edits and any post-production activities delegated to me by the Chief Engineer. 2012 – 2013. Here I learned a lot about basic studio set-up, as well as the recording techniques used by Roger at the time. I also learned a considerable amount about live sound and lighting.

Private Music educator – Beginning in high school, I travelled to people’s homes to teach them guitar, music theory, ear training and piano. My job was to tailor lessons around students’ needs and to maintain a reputable relationship with clients. 2012 – present.

Guitar, piano, music theory, ear-training and song-writing teacher at Shane Cloutier’s Music School, Collingwood, ON. 2012 – 2015. Here, I was able to refine my teaching style in the context of an institution.

Music educator/ RCM prep instructor/ RCM exam administrator at National Academy of Music, Mississauga, ON. 2016 – 2019.

Co-composer and performer in 2018 production “Canada on the Rails” Led by Saxophonist and Composer James Bayford in collaboration with esteemed visual artist Katya Kovshun. Hosted by INSITU Arts and Multimedia Festival. The festival was a three-night long residency and explored audio/ visual collaboration on the theme of James’s travels across Canada on the via rail.

Freelance Audio Producer/ Composer/ Editor/ Sound Designer: 2018 – present. I have done a considerable amount of this work on my own projects as well as for a few others. All of my material is mixed myself, and I have done mixing/ editing work on Dillon Colter’s EP “Chimera” and on some of Kat Caution’s work. I have also composed music for a number of video projects, all of which you can find on my website or my Vimeo.

Recording artist/ lead soloist on Dennis Kwok Jazz Orchestra’s 2019 studio album, “Windward Bound”. I am a long-time core member of the DKJO and have been involved in numerous live engagements with the group. It’s an extremely awarding group to play in, as big band music in general is becoming more and more difficult to make.

Lead Artist/ Composer on my own studio EP entitled “The Thing” released in 2019. It features prominent Toronto musicians: Ben Green and Jon Weilebnowski. The work explores my early jazz compositions in a trio setting with a focus on group improvisation.

Prominent core member of Robert Lee’s Jazz Sextet as well as his Chamber Orchestra. I recorded as guitarist on two of his studio albums: Blink (2018) and Still Life (2019). This group has performed all over Ontario and Quebec, and has been featured at the Newmarket Jazz Festival (2 consecutive years) and well as the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival (five consecutive years).

House band Performer on various ships under Holland America Cruise Line. 2019 – 2020. This position required me to sight read new music each night, in varying genres with a band that I had only met at the beginning of the contract. It was valuable to me in that it strengthened my ability to work under pressure and on a tight schedule.

Leader and primary compositional contributor for musical group: “Pestilential City” from 2019 – present. Last festival engagement was hosted by “Somewhere There” Creative Music Festival”, Joe Sorbara and Array Space Toronto in March 2020. This group could be described as electro-acoustic prog music with an emphasis on improvisation.

2020 – During the covid19 quarantine I recorded a mass of material at home which ended becoming a full-length commercial release entitled “Modes of Connection”. The work explores themes of isolation, hope (as well as lack-there-of), and darker aspects of the human condition which became more and more apparent to me as I watched the world wrestle with this big problem. It can be found on all streaming and downloading platforms. The whole album was recorded, edited, mixed and mastered by myself.

Skills

- Professional level guitarist
- Advanced knowledge in music creation DAW software: Logic Pro X, ProTools, Garage band, Reaper, Cubase, Wavelab, Sequoia and Ableton.
- Advanced abilities in Wwise, FMOD and Unity software for game sound design/ composition.
- Highly knowledgeable in music notation software such as Musecore, Sibelius and Finale.
- Intermediate knowledge of guitar repair and guitar/ bass electronics.

Awards/ Certifications

Collingwood Arts and Culture Award: Presented by the town of Collingwood, ON. 2013

Dave Stillwell Composition/ Arranging Award: Presented by Juno award winner Gord Sheard on behalf of Humber College for demonstrated excellence in composition and arranging. 2018

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