A bit about me....
I’ve been a guitarist all my adult life and love this most versatile instrument in all its many shapes and sizes. Naturally, I’m passionate about all the music you can make with it and have played in just about every style with a wide variety of bands in the Bath and Bristol area – they include Galway Blonde, Skarper, Metropolis, Soul Commotion, The Electric Lobsters, Studio 54, Stray Dogs and Rivers of England.
Great moments include performing at Glastonbury and Bristol’s Ashton Court festivals with Galway Blonde and working with special needs children to put on concerts at the Wiltshire Music Centre. Recent highlights include a 16-day tour of Germany with Rivers of England. Worst moments include falling off the stage at a Christmas dinner-and-dance for the ‘Officers and Wives’ at RAF Lyneham – I was 17 at the time.
I got into guitar teaching as a way of supplementing my slowly diminishing income as a journalist around seven years ago and took to it straight away. I get on well with people of all ages and love to see the broad smile that comes over their faces when they learn how to play their first tune, song or classic rock riff.
As well as teaching privately, I am employed by Writhlington Academy near Radstock and Selwood Academy in Frome. Since joining Writhlington three years ago, the number of students signing up for school guitar lessons has more than doubled. I think this is because I’m able to engage my students with my obvious enthusiasm for the guitar and hold their attention by constantly coming up with pieces they want to play.
I’m happy to show people how to play anything from Bach to Bowie as well as pop, rock and jazz standards if I can see that the exercise will give them transferable skills and improve their understanding of how music works.
Great moments include performing at Glastonbury and Bristol’s Ashton Court festivals with Galway Blonde and working with special needs children to put on concerts at the Wiltshire Music Centre. Recent highlights include a 16-day tour of Germany with Rivers of England. Worst moments include falling off the stage at a Christmas dinner-and-dance for the ‘Officers and Wives’ at RAF Lyneham – I was 17 at the time.
I got into guitar teaching as a way of supplementing my slowly diminishing income as a journalist around seven years ago and took to it straight away. I get on well with people of all ages and love to see the broad smile that comes over their faces when they learn how to play their first tune, song or classic rock riff.
As well as teaching privately, I am employed by Writhlington Academy near Radstock and Selwood Academy in Frome. Since joining Writhlington three years ago, the number of students signing up for school guitar lessons has more than doubled. I think this is because I’m able to engage my students with my obvious enthusiasm for the guitar and hold their attention by constantly coming up with pieces they want to play.
I’m happy to show people how to play anything from Bach to Bowie as well as pop, rock and jazz standards if I can see that the exercise will give them transferable skills and improve their understanding of how music works.
Ian White (left) with Rivers of England in Cornwall, Summer 2016
