Hal M.

Hello! I’m Hal. I’ve been teaching guitar, bass, ukulele, saxophone and flute for over twenty eight years! I love helping people achieve their musical goals. When I was a kid, I used to lay awake at night, listening to my Dad and his best friend, Stanley, playing guitars and singing every old country song they knew. I’d think, “Man, I wish I could do that!” So, I’d pull out my old guitar, and all my Dad’s old music books, and plunk my way through them. Eventually, I learned to play a few chords, but never got too far with it. When I got to the ninth grade, something happened that changed my life! I would sometimes take my guitar to school, plunking my chords, trying to impress Fonda, the girl who sat beside me in Science class. One day she turned to me and asked, “Um, like, can YOU play ‘House of the Rising Sun'? Cuz Kyle can play it.” I couldn’t, so she was impressed with Kyle instead. So... I went home and practiced that song for weeks, until I could play it just like they did on the radio. Then I took my guitar to school and said, “Hey Fonda, listen to THIS! I played that song perfectly! I was so proud of myself! She just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Well, it’s OK, I guess. Um, like, can YOU play ‘Smoke on the Water'? Cuz Kyle can play it……” Grrrrrrr ! ! ! ! ! ! Needless to say, I didn’t impress Fonda, but I DID impress someone much more important – ME ! ! ! I realized that I could make MUSIC ! I kept working and learning, and music has been a big part of my life ever since. Since then I’ve played in bands, led music, played and sung more solos than I can remember, written and arranged a number of songs, and taught plenty of people to play and read music. I know I can help YOU reach your musical goals, too.