Travis Dalenberg

My name is Travis Dalenberg and I'm a professional musician and music educator. My primary instrument and interest lies in jazz guitar, I am classically trained at the college level, and have 15 years of experience as a professional musician having performed all over the Western United States. I perform and teach all styles of popular and contemporary music on electric and acoustic guitar as well as on 4 string bass guitar. I also teach ukulele, group lessons, classical guitar, and direct both youth and adult student bands. I have 18 years of experience teaching private lesson and have worked with students aged 4 to 84. I'm transitioning from doing in person private lessons, teaching guitar classes, and directing youth and adult bands to teaching online lessons to better accommodate my personal musical goals. 

My mission as a music educator is to impart with all of my students a sense of fulfillment and joy through the act of learning and playing music.

I believe making music and most importantly having fun while making music is the best way to learn how to play a musical instrument. Its also more fun. For this reason the main focus in my lessons is centered around learning songs. Specifically songs of your choice. I present learning each song in a variety of ways. Whether learning advanced musical passages or tackling your first guitar riff as a complete beginner learning music by rote (learning something by repetition, rather than by understanding it) is an effective way to start. Just get the notes under your fingers so to speak. Once the song is learned a student can then apply the guitar techniques and music theory that's unique to your song choice. The concepts learned will always be a part of playing any song. I believe learning music and growing your repertoire should take precedence over learning theory or practicing technical exercises. However, learning music theory and practicing technical exercises can be very beneficial to becoming a proficient musician, I believe the ultimate goal of being a musician is to play music! Guitar exercises only teach us the technique necessary to play music. As a musician who's had to work hard for my technical ability and overall musicianship I am keenly aware of how to guide you to the most effective and streamlined approach to develop dexterity in your right and left hand and improve your overall musicianship. I find its best to master a small set of guitar skills versus having a cursory understanding of many guitar skills. By maintaining a consistent practice routine currently and for many years I have a deep understanding on how to achieve your guitar technique goals. My methodical and detailed teaching style will ensure you have an in-depth understanding of the lesson material. Part of learning to play an instrument can't be fully intellectualized and is a skill acquired through practice. Learning to feel rhythm or hear melody and harmony is akin to strengthening a muscle by lifting weights. I regularly transcribe music and utilize many methods to improve my musical ear and can teach you effective ways to improve your aural and rhythmic skills. My lessons are student centered as I curate every students lessons to fit their individual interests while finding the most efficient and straight forward way achieve their goals. Visual aids such as chord diagrams, tabs, guitar neck diagrams, standard musical notation, videos, and audio will be provided as needed. I can recommend good books and other instructional material as well.