Nicholas Ford

Education

BA, Eastern Connecticut State University

As a young guitarist, Nicholas Ford cut his teeth playing the music of 90s rock bands such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and many others in the genre, and was the recipient of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award his senior year of high school. By 2018 Nick was playing guitar and ukulele for musical theater and rock performances in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island including Annie, Next to Normal, and Footloose the Musical. Later, as an Eastern Connecticut State University student, Ford performed a number of solo recitals and was a member of multiple ensembles including chamber repertoire and guitar ensemble. In addition to his dedicated study of classical music, Nick played electric guitar and bass for both the jazz combo and jazz ensemble at Eastern, making use of his natural musical versatility. He received the Outstanding First Year Award at Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Yutzey Academic Excellence Scholarship his junior year. This mix of genres and experiences have made him a highly versatile and sought-after performer and educator. Nick currently teaches guitar and ukulele at a number of locations in Connecticut including The Hartt Community Division.

Teaching Philosophy

I like to think that we are all musicians before we are guitarists, so I have the mindset that we are learning to play music through our given tool(s); we are not defined by the instrument that we play. I start with the same fundamentals with all of my students; learning string names, notes around the fingerboard, and basic chords. Along the way, I also make sure my students are playing with correct posture and good technique so they can avoid playing-related injuries. I work with all of my students on their skills of reading standard music notation and guitar tablature, both ways that most guitar music is notated. With guitar so-often being self-taught, these basic skill sets are often not solidified in guitar players, which can lead to later difficulties with a person's playing (I know it did for me!). After a student is comfortable with the basics, I ask them to bring me some songs/ pieces that they would like to learn, and this is where the real fun starts. We get into the musical side of guitar; talking about phrasing, chord/scale choice, theory, and whatever else the student wishes to work on. I shape my lessons around my student's goals and I try my hardest to guide them toward being the musician they want to be.