Singingwood Music is the music studio and music business of John Blasquez, located in Walnut Creek, California (in the San Francisco Bay Area).

If this is your first visit to this website, please look around. You'll find many valuable resources and information about local events.

Teaching Experience

John Blasquez has 38 years experience playing music, and 29 years experience teaching classical violin, fiddle, guitar and mandolin to children and adults in private lessons.

Although John directs most of his energy to teaching private lessons, he also teaches workshops, group classes, and coaches musical groups, including his own ongoing workshops:

    Music Connection for Kids
    The Horizon Workshop
    Fiddling for Violinists
    Acoustic Instruments 101

He has been on staff at summer music camps including:

     Fiddlekids, (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
     CSOTFA Youth Workshops (2001, 2002, 2003)
     California Coast Music Camp (1995, 2006)

He's taught workshops at festivals such as the

     Grass Valley Blugrass Festival
     Strawberry Music Festival

... as well as at workshops for the San Francisco's Cooley-Keegan Branch of the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and for the .Contra Costa chapter of the Suzuki Violin Foundation, teaching fiddle for their Spring concerts.

Dedication

If you've ever watched John coach a student or lead a workshop, or if you've seen the careful materials that he creates for his students, then you understand his passion for teaching.

Patient, encouraging, understanding, humorous, supportive, motivating, and creative, he knows how to boost students out of a rut, slow them from an overly rapid assent, and steer them out of a downward spiral. He's able to explain and guide at any level. And he always strives to get students to use their practice time efficiently.

Click here to see some Endorsements from parents and students.

Performing Experience

An award winning instrumentalist, John has performed since age twelve. From his mid-twenties through his mid-thirties he performed extensively, usually three to five times a week. John still performs, but less often now — mostly now at private events such as parties and celebrations.

Lessons for Children and Adults

John is especially skilled at teaching young children. He easily establishes a friendly, encouraging, respectful rapport with kids, no matter if they're shy or energetic.

John always has several adult students, and he teaches adults who have had no prior experience playing music.

Practice Coach

In addition to teaching technique and repertoire, John teaches many aspects of musicianship—most importantly practice and study skills. Click here for some Practice Tips

Materials

John has created an extensive collection of teaching materials. They are of the highest quality. Professionally prepared, they equal or surpass the music books sold by large music publishers.

His lesson materials include:

• Clear introductory explanations
• Standard music notation — treble and bass clef.
• Tablature — a simplified form of music notation.
• Warm-ups and exercises that concise are effective
• Recordings to support practice
• Rhythm studies
• Worksheets, music theory charts, and games.
• Music for group participation
• Practice Guides — lists of study skills and goals

He has created guides on subjects such as:

• Accelerated learning
• Learn music by ear
• How to quickly memorize music
• Improvisation
• How to use an electronic tuner
• Recommended Accessories (available online)

In his lessons, John uses certain violin exercise books and various pieces from the standard violin repertoire. But his students are particularly enthusiastic about his own arrangements and the supporting exercises that he's designed to accompany them. Nevertheless, when repertoire is well taught, few exercises are required—each piece has all that is needed within.

John has self-published much of his work. In 2001 he launched his professional publishing career by writing an article for the August-September 2001 issue of Strings Magazine entitled "Start a Home Studio."

Classically Creative

John is particularly fond of the music of the Baroque era. He has created numerous arrangements of baroque compositions, including: transpositions, abridgments, reductions, duets, trios and quartets, and arrangements for solo performance.

For instance, John has created several abridged arrangements of the beautiful and popular Kanon in D by Johann Pachelbel. One of these arrangements has been performed locally by the Young Performer's String Orchestra. Pachelbel's Kanon is a well-loved piece. And it works quite well as an introductory material for the violin. Beginning students usually start working on it within two to four weeks.

John has created many arrangements for smaller groups: three violins with piano or guitar accompaniment; and an arrangement for solo violin and piano or guitar.

And he created adaptations of works by other composers, such as Handel's and Corelli's Concerto Grossi … various Chopin waltzes arranged for guitar and violin. Haydn baryton duets for two violins. Terrega's famous guitar solo, Recuerdos de Alhambra, arranged for guitar and mandolin, or for two guitars.

John also uses some of his own compositions for study and persomance. He has written some pieces specifically with study in mind, such as his "Two String Concerto" series — an example of John's dedication to young violinists. It's particularly easy for beginning violinists. In each of these pieces the entire melody is played on the violin's A and E strings.

Other Styles

John teaches many different styles of music besides classical, including American fiddle, Celtic music from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany. Folk music, Blues, Swing, Jazz, Ragtime. And international music: Latin, Greek, and Balkan music, the list goes on.