Guitar and Bass Lessons

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Meet Our Instructors
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    4 Instructors

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    Ages 6+

  • A red icon of a price tag.

    Starting from $119/mo

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    30 or 60 minute lessons

Ready to start rockin’?

For beginners, we start by developing motor skills, getting comfortable with the fretboard, and introducing notes, chords, and rhythm. We take the time to build a good set of fundamentals so students understand music notation and theory.

The most common adult student we run into is someone who has been playing for a little while but really wants to take that next step towards playing with others and developing their music theory. Our instructors incorporate playing together as one of their core principles. Many lessons will start out with introducing a musical concept and then using that concept in a short improvised jam to start understanding how to apply that concept.

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A person playing a red electric guitar outdoors, wearing a light blue T-shirt with black text and a black strap with a purple floral pattern.
Close-up of an acoustic guitar's sound hole, strings, and rosette design on the body of the guitar.
A young man wearing glasses and a green camouflage baseball cap sitting on a swivel chair. He is playing a black electric guitar, wearing a dark t-shirt and beige cargo pants. The setting appears to be an indoor room with musical posters and papers o
Close-up of several colorful guitars with painted floral patterns on their bodies, arranged in a row.
Close-up of a person playing an acoustic guitar with focus on their hand on the fretboard, with two other people in the background also holding guitars, in an outdoor setting.

Meet Our Guitar and Bass Instructors

A man with a beard and tattoos, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, is standing outdoors in a park with trees and fallen leaves, playing an acoustic guitar.

Joe Childs

GUITAR, BASS, BANJO INSTRUCTOR

Joe is a professional recording artist, performer, and educator. In addition to being one of the founders of two private music schools in Western NY, Boulevard Music Lessons in Tonawanda and Performing Arts located in Depew, NY, he is also director of guitar at Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. His musical repertoire consists of many styles that include blues, folk, classical, rock, country and jazz.

Additionally, Joe is a Buffalo Music Awards winner and guitarist in the regional country act Bloodmoney. Joe creates smooth and subtle sound textures using both acoustic and electric, guitar (6 and 12 string), banjo, melodica, and bass guitar. Whether you are young, adult, beginner, or advanced, Joe is the perfect fit for any student.

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Scott Nestler

GUITAR, BASS, UKULELE INSTRUCTOR

With well over 20 years of experience playing, Scott is well versed in all genres of music including, classical, jazz, blues, rock, and country. When asked what he loves about teaching the most, “I love the energy of students who are just discovering things on their instrument. Aside from teaching, Scott is also a Rock Band 101 director, providing structured, goal-driven rehearsals to prepare his bands for upcoming performances and also teaches the Ukulele.

Scott’s musical influences include Jeff Beck, Tommy Bolin, Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, Al Dimeola, and Miles Davis. Scott is a great fit for students of any skill level and age, students looking to learn Music Theory, work on original compositions, or any adolescent learning looking to get into our Rock Band program.

A man with long hair playing a red electric guitar in front of a wooden wall.

Mike Slomowicz

GUITAR AND BASS INSTRUCTOR

Mike Slomowicz holds both B.A. (Canisius College) and M.M. (University at Buffalo) degrees in classical guitar performance. He has several years of experience in rock and jazz ensembles, as well as in theatre pit bands and classical groups. Mike has been fortunate to open for a variety of national acts, including KC and the Sunshine Band, The Commodores, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Billy Sheehan, and SWV.

From 2012-2015, he served as guitarist and musical director for popular lounge performer Lance Diamond. He is currently performing locally with the Cool Platinum Band (R&B/funk) and DMW Jazz, among other groups. In addition to guitar, Mike has a background in piano, ukulele, and banjo. Mike’s musical influences include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Carlos Santana, KISS, Andres Segovia, Living Colour, Eric Clapton, just to name a few. Mike is the perfect teacher for advanced students looking to get into Music Theory, classical fingerpicking, or Jazz, however his teaching style can work for students of any age and skill level.

A man playing an acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone during a performance with drums visible in the background.

Mat Missert

GUITAR AND BASS INSTRUCTOR

Mat graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Industry from Villa Maria College in 2018. He plays several instruments which include guitar, bass, piano, and drums. He’s played in several different bands locally, and did some light touring up and down the East Coast in 2017. He’s been teaching guitar for several years and is currently a Music Tutor at Villa Maria College.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • We have pianos and drums on location. Students must have their own instruments for all other lesson types.

  • Students will have a weekly lesson.

  • We have both half hour and hour options available.

  • All lessons are held at our location at 1090 Niagara Falls Blvd., Tonawanda, NY 14150.

  • No, we only offer lessons in-person.

  • We begin enrollment at ages 7 or older. For students ages 5 and 6, we ask that you reach out to us about scheduling a free assessment lesson to see if the student is ready to begin lessons.

  • There is a one time, non-refundable registration fee of $30 per student due at the time registration. Tuition is $119 per month for 30 minutes lessons per student. First month's payment is due at time of registration. Boulevard Music Lessons reserves the right to remove any student from the schedule and collect any fees associated with late payment.

  • We offer one makeup per month due to absence. We require 24 hours notice to be eligible for a makeup lesson. On months where the student would receive five lessons in a month due to there being five weeks, we don’t offer a makeup for the first absence.

  • It is at the teacher’s discretion to end a lesson early due to any student misbehavior. Any student arriving 15 minutes late or later will not be given a lesson.

Are you ready to begin guitar and bass lessons?

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