Who is JP ?

the Objective

To teach the Art of Guitar Playing in a friendly, and  professional manner; to help  fulfill the musical desires and ambitions of the student on the instrument!

John JP Pakalenka, guitarist, singer, and song writer has a career spanning over four decades in the music business including live performance, recording, and touring experience with such artists as Peter Criss of ‘Kiss’ fame, and guitarist Dave Amato of REO Speedwagon. He has studied all styles of music, and has been a guitar instructor for over twenty years.

” My years of experience on the guitar has taught me how to share my skills and abilities with students teaching them how they too can experience the joy of playing guitar and to have a wonderful creative outlet!”

I like giving my students the knowledge they need, ( the meat and potatoes) and to show them the skills they need to become the player they desire to be.

*I enjoy working with all ages from Beginner to Pro level,  from learning the basic essentials, to Pro levels  wanting to expand their knowledge and to develop their skill set on the fret board. I tailor lessons to the students abilities and requirements.

*For beginners I teach out of my instruction booklet that covers all the basics and then some, to give a solid foundation to build from.

*We’ll start with essential chords, how to play rhythms, Basic minor and major Pentatonic scales and how to use them. Picking exercises including finger picking are also explored.

*I also work with ear training, what to listen for, from timing to instrumentation.

*I can also help with first time guitar buyers questions on picking the ‘right guitar’.

*I can also help with guitar rig setups, and how to prepare for live performance.

*In addition I help students with song writing and arrangements.

*If you’re interested in joining a worship team at your church I can help you prepare for what the worship leader is requiring and what they are looking for out of you.

Testimonials:

Some student comments on JP’s guitar lessons;

JP helps empower people to connect their minds, emotions, and musical spirit! David T.

I wanted to send you a quick email to share some lovely feedback that I received from Jae S. He called in on Friday to follow up on the first lesson, and was absolutely singing your praises!

Jae was very impressed with your ability to quickly and efficiently assess his skill level to figure out exactly where he is at and what he needs going forward. He really appreciated that you took the time up front to understand where he’s at and what he’s looking for.

He says he has worked with many musicians and that a weakness of many teachers is that they project their personal biases on to their student in terms of style or learning process. He appreciates that you didn’t do that with him. He told me that as a longtime musician, he has felt he’s been hitting a wall or plateau for a while now – but with your help, “for the first time in a long time, I feel like I can actually break through!”

This sounds like a truly awesome match, and Jae’s feedback made my day. Keep up the great work and thank you for all you do!

Empower The Student!

My goal for each student is to have a love for guitar playing that drives them way beyond what they thought they could do or accomplish on the guitar!