Tom Arbaugh

Tom Arbaugh is an established musician and teacher who has been playing guitar, bass guitar, and double bass for over 20 years. He has played double bass in concert halls, including Benaroya Hall (home of the Seattle Symphony) for the 2006 and 2007 seasons of the hybrid student/professional Symphony Orchestra, toured Europe with jazz ensembles and wind ensembles over the summer of 2006 with the Washington State Ambassidors of Music, and played jazz guitar at galas, including Revive (a fundraiser for Earth Corps) and other private events such as weddings. In the last two years Tom has performed at many festivals including Ballard Seafood Fest, The Bite of Seattle, and Brodie Nation Music Festival. 

Tom holds a teaching certificate in the state of Washington, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington. He is proficient in teaching kids and adults. He has led high school orchestras, taught guitar classes, and taught elementary music at schools throughout the Lake Washington School District, located in Redmond WA, beginning in 2023. Tom also has 10 years of experience teaching private lessons on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele at Guitar Center (2015 - 2017), Capella Academy (2018 - 2019), and Thomas Arbaugh Music (2021 - 2025).

I want to help you get everything you want from music. Using an easy-going style I take a student centered approach to teaching allowing you to drive your outcomes as well as learning style.  

I believe flexibility is key. If you want to learn the music fundamentals, including reading music and theory he will cater his approach and create a strong foundation for future learning. If you have no idea where to start my approach will allow you to explore music and find how you best connect with learning a new instrument. If you want to just play specific songs and have no interest in anything else, we'll cover everything that is needed to start shredding ASAP. In all of the scenarios above you will learn the tools necessary to continue to grow at as fast a rate as you feel driven to. 

Wherever you're starting from, there is a path to where you want to be. We'll identify it and work together to get you were you want to go. I ultimately want to assist my students in developing a love for music and creativity at any age. 

I encourage a free consultation/lesson as a way to share what your interests are and learn what he has to offer in more depth.