Marcus Kitley has dedicated his life to teaching. He teaches 6th grade at Sakai Intermediate School by day. By night, he combines his love of teaching with his other passion; playing guitar. Marcus is a graduate of the University of Washington and has a Master’s Degree in Education. A Northwest native, he has been gigging professionally since the age of 16. Everything from big band, rock & roll, blues, jazz, and even Elvis impersonators! He brings a vast and eclectic musical repertoire to what he calls, “A student first approach.”

Marcus has an amazing rapport with students of all ages. Claiming this “Student first approach works every time!” He believes the number one way to get students playing the guitar is to get them excited about playing the guitar. This happens by teaching them something they want to learn. “Most students walk out of our first lesson playing a song they love within a half hour. This makes playing the guitar fun! When it’s fun, you practice. When you practice, you see immediate results.” Marcus works with each student to play what he or she envisions. This individualized approach is what makes his teaching technique so successful.

“By having students choose the songs they want to learn, we build motivation and success.” says Marcus. “But the actual song is only a byproduct.” He goes on to explain, “I use their songs to teach universal concepts. Each song offers a unique opportunity to explore chord shapes, scales and song structure. We work to tie these common threads together through each song we do, building skills, musical vocabulary and fingering.” Marcus’ students are enthusiastic about guitar and look forward to their lessons each week.

Lessons are available. To contact Marcus directly please call or email.