Ess Whiteley

Hello there! 

I'm Ess! I'm a musician, composer, electronic music maker, and educator currently doing my PhD in Music at University of California-San Diego. My musical background is quite diverse, as I love ALL kinds of music: I have played guitar since for 20 years, piano for 26 years, trumpet for 10 years, and have been making electronic music as a producer since 2015. I have toured Europe, the UK, USA, and Canada with different bands on several occasions as a guitarist, drummer, trumpet player and singer; I have had my compositions performed in over a dozen countries all around the world; I have written, recorded, and worked on albums ranging from electronic, dance, math-rock, indie rock, to avante garde classical. 

I have formal musical training from McGill University with a bachelor of music degree in composition, as well as an master's degree in music from University of California-San Diego, where I'm doing my PhD and have been a teaching fellow since 2020. 

My teaching style is all about understanding YOU as a student, and meeting you where you are at. Music is an incredibly vast and complex practice with all kinds of different approaches, so I want to be clear as an educator what your intentions are with your musical journey and take it from there. My teaching style is very much active and particatory as well; I believe the best way to learn is through active learning rather than passive learning. Rather than me lecturing you for an hour, my goal is to get you engaged and create a dialogue through experimentation, playing, and discussion.