Guitar Lessons
Check out our guitar teachers for guitar lessons!
Mike McAdam is the founder and school director at North Main Music. He has been playing music since he was eight years old when he was first introduced to the drums. Mike started playing guitar when he was 16 and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. He has been teaching since 2003 and has worked as an instructor at Rivier University and a guest lecturer at Berklee. In addition to his vast performing experience, Mike has played on dozens of released recordings and authored two music books.
“When I meet a student, it’s vital to know what has motivated them to start playing. As a teacher, the quicker I can get them to that goal, the more satisfaction they get out of learning the instrument.”
Other Instruments: Drums, Bass, Ukulele
Kyle Sloan studied Guitar Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music. He began playing Guitar at age 12, began playing Alto Saxophone at age 9 and began playing Percussion at age 7. While attending Berklee, he performed with a Beatles cover band, an original Country-Rock band and worked on various ensemble projects ranging in genres from Hip-Hop to Metal. During his time at Berklee he studied with Professional guitarists and Berklee staff members: Thaddeus Hogarth, Lauren Passarelli, Jim Peterson and Sheryl Bailey. Kyle graduated from Portsmouth High School in 2008 where he was a member of the high school’s marching band, concert band, jazz band, drum line, as well as a pit musician for theatrical productions. Kyle also played Vibraphone for Portsmouth High School’s world champion concert percussion ensemble (WGI scholastic concert division). Kyle is also a member of the engineering staff at Cybersound Recording Studios in Boston, MA.
“Enjoying the process of learning music is a major component to my philosophy. My teaching style incorporates the fundamentals with an open mind to each students individual tastes and ambitions. Experiencing joy with music is what makes music special on an individual level, as well as on a global level. Music translates in all parts of the world and the musical language that is learned can be shared by a global community. By choosing to study music and a musical instrument you open yourself to and become a part of this global community. Like learning and speaking a language, the ways you make yourself heard and understood through music involve developing your mechanical skills, your critical thinking skills, and your listening skills. Listening is the key to knowing when and how to use your vocabulary. It is important to find a connection with the phrases and vocabulary you learn to be able to express yourself in an appropriate way and in the right context.”
Other Instruments: Ukulele, Bass, Drums
William Curtis began his musical career in the middle of 2008, when, after hearing heavy metal for the first time, he snuck into his sister’s room and “borrowed” her long-disused electric guitar, dead set on writing his own music and being in a band. Self-taught throughout high school, he was soon recruited to join a hardcore punk band, and has been with that same band ever since, writing, recording and performing at a variety of venues across New England. Beginning in 2010, he attended the University of New Hampshire as a music major, studying under world class musicians and composers like David Newsam and Ryan Vigil. There he was exposed to jazz, classical, and experimental music, particularly the music of Django Reinhardt and Grant Green. He was the leader of UNH’s first ever Gypsy Jazz group, the Hot Quartette du Durham, performing the first ever all-acoustic set at the annual UNH Jazz Combo concert. After teaching sporadically during his college years, he graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Music Performance and began teaching regularly. He joined the North Main Music team in 2016.
“Music is a language. Just like with written words, there is an unbelievable number of ways you can express yourself with it. Both have basic rules that can be followed or ignored, bent or broken to say what you need to. I help my students figure out what they want to express with their music and how. I teach them the rules of technique and music theory, plus how and why to break them. I try to cultivate awareness of the physical aspects of playing, plus critical music listening skills, to show students how and why other musicians create the sounds they do, and how to incorporate and expand upon those influences. Ultimately though, music should be fun and cathartic, so the student drives the overall direction of the lessons towards what they want to play. I’m just here to help them achieve those goals.”
Other Instruments: Violin
Onur Dilsen teaches violin, guitar, and piano at North Main Music. His violin education began in 1994 at the State Conservatory in Izmir, Turkey. In 2002, he emigrated to Boston, MA to pursue his violin studies at the Valeria Kuchment studio at the Longy School of Music. Onur earned his undergraduate degree in 2005 and completed his GPD and Masters’s degree at the Irina Muresanu and Lynn Chang studios. He also graduated from the Boston Conservatory in 2009. Since then, he has been a freelance violinist, teaching and playing in various local orchestras and performing in recording sessions.
Onur is also a member of a variety of musical groups and organizations in the New England area. In 2009, he became a member of the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a member of the Cape Ann Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, Cape Cod Symphony, Symphony New Hampshire, The Worcester Chorus, and Quincy Choral Society. His non-classical music projects and contributions include Esthema, Tevellus, Boston Meyhanesi, Rebetiki Compania of Boston. In addition to classical music, he enjoys listening to and performing many other music genres including Blues, Latin, Jazz, Rock, Metal, Greek, and Turkish/Middle Eastern. Although his primary instrument is the violin, Onur also plays viola, piano, bass guitar, and guitar. He enjoys sharing his passions for music and performance with his students.
Other Instruments: Piano, Drums, Ukulele
Anthony Mowbray brings more than two decades of experience as a professional music teacher and performing musician to his students at North Main Music. His teaching experience includes instructing students of all ages and skill levels from beginner to advanced.
Although piano is his primary instrument, he also teaches guitar, bass guitar, drums, and ukulele. Anthony earned his degree in Music Performance from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. His passion for teaching has led several of his students to regional piano competitions, auditions for prestigious music festivals,and teaching careers of their own. In addition to private lessons, Anthony has taught and coached various ensembles, including chamber music, piano duets, and rock and pop groups.
