Derek Gonzales

Teacher of the Year Acoustic Guitar ('21 - '24) 1. About the Lessons: Learning music is a deeply enriching personal journey. My role as a teacher is to guide you through your own journey. I seek to encourage and inspire you, showing you possibilities and pointing you towards paths to develop your musicality in ways that are fun, effective and rewarding.

Lessons are custom tailored for each student - I consider your specific goals, tastes and needs in order to create a lesson plan that is logical and appropriate for you. The atmosphere is very relaxed in order for you to feel at ease to embrace the process.

In a broader sense, I see Music as a great tool for personal development. It involves exercising logical thinking, physical-motor and cognitive abilities, discipline, aesthetic appreciation, the connection with your feelings and emotions, self-expression and the honing of creative and artistic sensibilities.

In specific musical terms, topics we’ll cover usually include (depending on your goals, musical taste and your level at the instrument at each particular moment):

• Technique,
• Repertoire,
• Ear training,
• Harmony,
• Music theory (each topic is associated with its application in practical and musical examples),
• Improvisation,
• Composition and Songwriting.

For most students who are looking for faster perceivable progress, I recommend 45 or 60-minute lessons, once or twice a week, depending on our schedules. 30-minute lessons are recommended for people with tighter schedules. Having lessons every two weeks or less is also possible, but can usually lead to slower results. Of course there are exceptions - the process is different for each person and the biggest determining factors for a student’s evolution are “how” and “how much” a student practices (more than anything else, really).

2. About me: I’ve been a guitarist for over two decades. I attended Souza Lima Conservatory (a Berklee Global Partner) for a year and completed my degree in Popular (non-classical) Music - Electric Guitar in 2015, from Santa Marcelina College in São Paulo, Brazil. I’ve had a large experience as both an English teacher and a Guitar teacher since 2012.

My musical experience includes extensive study of several genres, mainly Rock and its subgenres (from classic rock to metal, from progressive to alternative), in addition to Brazilian music (MPB, Samba, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz), Funk/Soul/RnB, Blues, Pop and also Jazz. 

I’m the leader/singer-songwriter of Solarcaves - an Indie Pop / Progressive Rock project, and a member of a Funk-Rock / Soul / Brazilian music band called Discopia. Over the years, I have played in many bands, including a contemporary dance theater production featuring music by the Beatles (Because - O Espetáculo), cover band Flip the Coin and original music with artist Brunna Buzollo, in venues in São Paulo (B32 Theater, Manifesto Rock Bar, Café Aurora, Gillan's Pub, Praça Victor Civita, and others), and tours in the state of Minas Gerais (including Centro Cultural Unimed-Bh Minas theater).

I teach both electric and acoustic guitar.

Getting to know what you want from learning music is a key factor for our lessons. Sometimes students aren’t sure about that when they first start, so we’ll explore the possibilities together. Lesson plans are made integrating a logical technical progression and a repertoire that suits your music taste. I’m very flexible and open to suggestions, and I make lessons about your journey rather than simply following a generic pre-planned route.

Lessons can be taught in English or Portuguese.