GUITAR

We offer guitar lessons for Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and beyond. What is unique about our guitar department is our holistic approach. As the adage goes: “Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day; teach someone to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.” Many rock guitar methods merely “give fish,” in that they really only intend for you to learn songs (and that,  by rote). While not harmful, this method is somewhat incomplete. To put it another way, it is akin to an English speaker memorizing a haiku in Japanese without even knowing what the words mean.  

We are committed to “teaching our students to fish,” in that they do not just learn songs; they learn how to learn songs. This is achieved by giving attention to sight-reading, music theory,  proper technique, and ear-training/improvisation - all of these enable the student to engage any genre they desire, be it folk, pop, rock, blues, jazz, or classical.   

Our students keep coming back every year because they have been mentored into this “holistic approach” by our instructors. We have a faculty of three professional, conservatory-trained guitar instructors who bring their expertise and love of music and teaching to bear on their lessons.

FACULTY

KEVIN BROWN, Director for Bellas Artes Institute for Jazz Studies, jazz guitar

Canadian-born guitarist Kevin Brown is an experienced educator, performer, and composer in the Chicago area. He holds a B.M. in guitar performance from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music and a M.M. in Jazz Composition from DePaul University.

Some of his primary instructors have included Peter Ulrich, Willie Wiebe, Larry Roy, and Stephen Ramsdell with additional lessons and masterclasses with Scott Hesse, Mike Allemana, Steve Coleman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rez Abassi, John Patitucci, and many others. 

He has performed with musicians such as Jimmy Greene, Benny Golson, Jon Irabagon, and Marquis Hill and has appeared in some of Chicago's top venues for jazz, including the Green Mill and the Jazz Showcase. Kevin has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Iowa City Jazz Festival.

Kevin Brown is an adjunct faculty member at Trinity Christian College where he directs the jazz ensemble and teaches private lessons in guitar and composition.

Jerremiah Smith, guitar

Jerremiah Smith is a guitarist, composer, and educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. He began teaching private music lessons in Northern California while studying guitar performance and music education at California State University, Chico, where he earned his BA and MA in music. He continued to teach, perform, and study guitar in Northern California until 2011 when he accepted a full time teaching position with the Bermuda School of Music. During his 12 years in Bermuda, Jerremiah taught guitar, ukulele, and bass, prepared students for ABRSM performance and music theory exams, performed for audiences large and small, and helped to coordinate and run the Bermuda Guitar Festival. He relocated to Naperville, IL in July of 2023 with his family to put down roots and enjoy the benefits of the wonderful school system there.

Jerremiah specializes in classical guitar, but enjoys playing and teaching most styles of music. For example, before leaving California he played lead guitar in the 80’s hair metal cover band Hair Gin & Tonic (wigs and spandex included!). He also played live jazz on North State Public Radio with vocalist Cassandra Madison, and won first prize in MakeAStar.com’s international solo acoustic guitar competition. He enjoys composing for guitar and has published several pieces for solo guitar. He also greatly enjoys creating YouTube videos for his original compositions and arrangements from time to time.