Teaching

“Bryan is an extremely dedicated teacher. He is generous in the time he gives his students, often giving extra. As a teacher, he particularly helped me to better manage my practice. How to practice well is the most influential lesson a teacher can give a student. Bryan taught me to learn more efficiently by using the metronome at increasing intervals, regularly recording an listening back while taking notes, and created performance opportunities for me. He also shared his extensive knowledge of Baroque music.”

Eliza Balmuth
Guitar, Lute,
Oberlin Conservatory

“Bryan is one of the best music teachers I have
ever had. He embodies what he teaches. When
you enter a lesson with Bryan it is like entering
into a different world. A world rich with fine
arts, music, history, literature, and of course,
the guitar. While studying with Bryan I learned
more than just how to play guitar, but also how
to appreciate and engage with the arts in many
forms. Dialogue with Bryan is always
intellectually stimulating and thought
provoking, well beyond his vast knowledge of
classical guitar.
As a jazz guitar player, studying classical guitar
as a secondary instrument, Bryan had an
uncanny way of presenting classical guitar
pedagogy in a way that I could relate to and
understand easily. He always showed
appreciation for my skills as a jazz guitarist and
he showed me many ways in which I could use
material, repertoire, and pedagogy from the
classical guitar realm to develop my jazz skills
and help me become a more well-rounded,
musical, guitarist. Lastly, Bryan was incredibly
gracious and welcoming as he introduced me
to the greater classical guitar community. As a
result, I became exposed to many amazing
musicians, guitarists, and human beings, while
studying with Bryan.”

Ben Holt
Jazz Guitar
University of North Texas & Taipei Taiwan

“If there could be one person I could point to as the source for my musicianship I’d point to this man here. Bryan Burns is a dear friend of mine and an exceptional mentor. He was my first actual guitar teacher way back in 2013 and I still take lessons from him to this day. Bryan’s brilliance is hard to sum up in a single post, but my appreciation for him is endless. He transcends mere technical approaches to the I instrument and helps you dig into your own personal understanding of each piece. He’s always striving to bring rhetoric to the forefront, to make your fingers into a choir, and to make his students into the kapellmeisters that they’re capable of being.
If you are serious about taking your playing to the next level you should speak with him. He’ll put you on the right track of technique, interpretation, rhetoric, historical insight, solfège, and actual musicianship beyond little black dots on a page. I’ve always kept his teachings in my back pocket, he’s a gem.”

Seth Dempsey 
Guitar, Lute, Theorbo
McGill University