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Page 1 of 2  Jason Shadrick has one of the coolest jobs a guitarist could
ever hope for. As the Sales and Guest Artist Rep for the National Guitar
Workshop, Jason works closely with some of the best guitarists and educators on
the planet. Every summer thousands of guitarists of all ages enjoy the fruits
of Jason’s labor as they study with these great teachers at NGW campuses all
over the country.
Jason took some time off of his busy work schedule to talk
with us about his experiences as a teacher, performer, and NGW administrator.
MW: How did you get your start as a guitar teacher?
JS: I started giving one-off lessons my senior year of high
school. During that time it was mostly a
way for me to figure out how to explain concepts in a clear way to students who
were just starting to play guitar. When
I was a sophomore in college I started to teach more frequently and then my
guitar instructor recommended me for an open teaching position at a music
store. At the peak of that time I was
teaching 25-30 students a week.
MW: Did any of your teachers have an influence on your
private teaching approach?
JS: All of my teachers influenced my approach, although I
didn’t know it at the time. At Minnesota State Mankato I
took lessons from Jim McGuire, who was an amazing classical as well as jazz
guitarist. He taught me how to improve
my fundamental guitar technique and how to not discount another style of music
just because you don’t listen to it 12 hours a day. I still use some of the methods he taught me
in my lessons. Another important teacher
during that time was Doug Snapp. Doug
taught me how to look at the big picture and introduced me to using technology
in practice and lessons.
When I started at the University of Northern Iowa
for my Master’s degree I was well informed about the faculty there. All of them made a huge impact on me on a
daily basis. Bob Dunn was my guitar
teacher and he had a very organized way to approach certain problems I was
having. There was this huge 3 ring
notebook that he had in his office that contained hundreds of pages of handouts
and whenever I brought up a certain issue; he had just the exercise to fix
it. Also, both Chris Merz and Bob Washut
taught me invaluable lessons on becoming the most effective teacher I can
be. I still have about 10 to 15
notebooks and binders full of the stuff they gave me over a two year
period. I should be through that in
about twenty years.
MW: As someone who draws from many influences in their
playing how do you encourage students to explore different genres and styles of
music?
JS: I encourage them to get out of the house and go see live
music. Even though I am a jazz guitarist
by training, I probably only see 2-3 live jazz shows a year. Since I deal with all types of world class
guitarists from every genre with my job, it is fairly easy for me to become
influenced by different genres and styles.
Another method I recommend is going to the local library and
check out 3 CD’s by people you have never heard of. Go home and listen to them. If you like something, tell a friend or go
buy a ticket to see them live. If you
don’t like them, just return them. It is
ok not to like everything. If you do
this 10 times a year, I guarantee you will find something you didn’t think you
would like and it will send your playing off in another direction.
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