B.Mus (Humber)
Simon is a recent graduate of Humber College, being very passionate about both bass and guitar for over 15 years. He is also a prominent member of the Toronto rock scene, having booked venues, and played shows throughout the city. Simon has had the pleasure to study with the likes of Ted Quinlan, Mike Downes and Justin Gray. With 2 years of teaching experience at Long and McQuade, Simon creates a personalized learning experience for each student in a friendly and non-judgemental learning environment.
Simon is mostly focused on his original music in his free time, with a strong love for composition and theory.
Get to know TEACHER…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Writing, Movies, Photography
Musical Influences: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Courtney Barnett, Daniel Romano
Favourite Food: Tacos
Favourite Music: Rock, Hip Hop
Favourite Song: Bold as Love by Jimi Hendrix
Favourite Movie: Bladerunner 2049
Favourite movie music: Submarine
Favourite musical theatre: Singing in the Rain
Best Quote From a Teacher: “Don’t get frustrated when you fail. Use that energy to try it again.”
Favourite Book: Just Kids by Patti Smith
Best thing about teaching at ABC: To have a student feel proud of themselves for how far they have come.
Latest Homework from Simon
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Dec 13 – Emet, Eric, Jayden, Joshua, Marshall
Emet
Nice work on Eye of the Tiger, it is sounding great. Give extra attention to that intro this week. Try to get the accents going on every down beat, as well as a nice even rhythm and tone across all notes. Keep practicing the chord shapes for the riff of the song also. Hero is also sounding great. Keep working on the chord transitions, as well as the full song. Great work on Feel Invisible today! We will finish it next time. Nice work!
Eric
Great work on Viva La Vita today. Practice the chord transitions on this tune, especially when switching between shapes. Nice work on the bar chords today. It is a huge topic that can get very confusing at times, but you are doing great with it. Practice our major and minor shapes from the E and A strings (top 4 strings, and finding the fingerings that are most comfortable for you). Additionally, keep working on our full bar chord shapes. That was sounding really good today. Good work!
Jayden
Nice job with The Trooper! Keep working on it this week, and incorporate the pull offs we went over today. The ideas to remember for the pull offs are: 1) always have the fingers behind the pull off down, 2) pull down rather than away from the neck, 3) release the string before it starts to bend. Also work on My Name Is Jonas this week. Have a listen to the song and play through the different sections. We will finish it next time. Great work!
Joshua
Nice work on Don’t Go Slow. Listen to the song this week and follow along with your chord chart. You can even write out where in the chord changes are in relation to the lyrics. That might be helpful! Practice those power chords this week and try to memorize the chords and structure. Next week, we will work on the right hand strumming for the song. Bring another song you want to learn also! Nice job!
Marshall
Here Comes the Sun is sounding great. Keep working on it, and we can finish the other sections another time. Nice work on Smells Like Teen Spirit today! Practice the ideas of both the power chords and the dead strums in between. Find a way to do those dead strums that works for you! This song is great to work on the topic of muting. We will continue to cover this idea. Nice work on Come As You Are. Have a listen to the song this week. Good work!
Dec 1 – Kaylee, Van, Layla
Kaylee Nice work today! Keep practicing Run and Wake Me [...]
Preferred Books for Simon’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
Hal Leonard Guitar Method COMPLETE
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2 and 3 spiral-bound together.
Alfred's Basic Guitar Method
Recognized for over 50 years as the best-paced and most comprehensive guitar method available, Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method has introduced over 3 million beginners to the joy of playing guitar. This updated and expanded edition features a new layout, making it easier to read and learn. Now included are blues, country, folk, jazz, and rock styles, plus more pop songs! New DVDs with iPod-compatible video are now available for the visual learner, and correlating theory, chord, and pop books ensure that you’ll get everything you need from one complete method. Learning to play has never been easier or more fun than with Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method—the first and best choice for today’s beginning guitar students.
Guitar Grimoire
Every chord of every key and mode is presented with thousands of diagrams and charts. Includes polychords, chord substitutions, inversions and movable voicings.
This indespensable volume belongs in every guitarist’s library.
This book is a “where to” book, showing you exactly where to find any chord in any key on your fretboard. It is a professional reference tool to enhance your music library and playing that you will use for many years to come.
