MANDOLIN | BANJO

We offer mandolin, banjo, guitar, and fiddle lessons for Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and beyond. We believe it is important to take a holistic approach to these instruments. 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 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. Our faculty are highly trained and experienced musician educators who bring their expertise and love of music and teaching to bear on their lessons.

 WES CARR, mandolin, banjo, guitar, fiddle, bass

R. Wesley Carr is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter from northern Illinois. He studied classical guitar with Fareed Haque at NIU before finishing his education at East Tennessee State University. At ETSU, he studied with 5 time Grammy winner, Adam Steffey. After graduating ETSU, Wes went on to win the National Mandolin Championships in 2019. He also won the NewSong Songwriters showcase in 2020 (religious category) and 2023 (instrumental category).

With over 15 years of experience teaching, Wes has developed a strong curriculum on guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and fiddle. He believes strongly that each student should be met where they are and no two students are the same. Many of his students have earned scholarships and continued to study music in college.

As a performer, Wes has played throughout the midwest. He has performed with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions. He is also in demand as a pit musician, playing and conducting for professional and community theaters throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.