Adriel Borshansky

Hi there! My name is Adriel Borshansky, and I'm a guitar and music educator based in Baltimore, Maryland. I focus mostly on teaching students with little to no experience how to play chords and songs. Along the way, you'll learn about rhythm and music theory, and of course have a lot of fun! For adventurous souls and those who have more music background, I also teach how to sing while playing guitar, and for VERY adventurous souls I teach songwriting (which is my real passion). 

I strongly believe that anyone can learn to be a musician, no matter their background, age, or degree of natural talent. One of the most enjoyable things for me personally is to work with someone who has never really excelled in music but wants to try. Giving another person the skills of rhythm, chords, melody, and "feel" for music is such an exciting process! Having grown up "in the system" so to speak and being part of formal music education in some of the most prestigious schools and camps, I am determined to use my background to help others and to make the process of learning music very personalized and above all FUN. 

I attended Manhattan School of Music in my youth, where I learned piano, percussion (drums), violin, and voice. Jazz drums was my main instrument of training, which lay the foundation for me to then branch out and teach myself guitar and songwriting. In college I co-directed an A Capella group, founded a folk-jazz band that toured and recorded albums, and played professionally at venues across the country. Since then, I've written and recorded music for films, documentaries, and organizations, as well as published my own original music on Spotify along with music videos. Currently in Baltimore, I teach guitar and songwriting, offer recording services to local musicians, play music for synagogues, and am in the process of founding new music education initiatives within the community. 

My teaching style involves jumping straight in and learning by doing. I teach chords in a way that makes them easy to remember, and helps you to practice transitioning between them. I also have a unique system that I created for learning strumming patterns, and learning how to play through an entire song. We go step by step, and I try to tailor the lessons very much to each student and what they need in order for the process to be fun and fruitful. One of my unique strengths is that while we are learning the basics of how to play songs, I weave in interesting tid-bits of music theory in a way that is understandable and very powerful for anyone who would like to really develop their understanding of music. Some genres of music I focus on with students are: folks songs, pop songs, oldies, jazz standards, and Jewish music. 

If you are looking for someone with patience, warmth, and a knack for helping you work through whatever it is that you're finding challenging, look no further! And if you're already a seasoned musician but want to find a way to improve your ability to write songs, I also teach songwriting and can coach you through how to take channel your creativity and refine your songs.