ABOUT CAMERON
Cameron Schmitz graduated from Boston’s Berklee College of Music and has been fully committed to all things guitar since he began playing at age 14. When not working with his roster of students at the Seven Oaks clubhouse, Cameron can be found teaching at Cheval, Tampa Preparatory and Patel Conservatory. Since moving to Wesley Chapel in 2004, he has continued teaching acoustic and electric guitar and bass in all styles ranging from rock (progressive, metal, modern, psychedelic, etc) and blues to jazz and country. Acoustic guitar styles include flatpicking and fingerstyle (Travis), drop tunings and open tunings in folk, Celtic, blues (dead-thumb and slide) and contemporary popular music. Nylon string classical and Spanish styles are also taught and many classical elements are brought into the technical side of the learning process. Suggested method books are Mel Bay Enhanced Edition Vols 1 & 2 and the Berklee Modern Method series. For more, please see “what’s required”. (For more performance history and a teaching resume, click here)[top of page]
CONTACT INFORMATION
home phone is 813-994-4353 and email is schmitz@superpage.com or cameron@wesleychapelguitar.com
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LESSON LOCATION
The Seven Oaks Clubhouse is conveniently located between I 75/275 and Bruce B Downs Blvd on SR 56 in Wesley Chapel.
The Cheval Athletic Club is off Dale Mabry just north of the Veteran's Expressway in Lutz.
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PRICING
Please call for rates: 813-994-4353. One hour lessons are recommended (30 minute lessons can be scheduled if the student is quite young) and 4 weekly lessons are discounted at Seven Oaks and at Cheval. I do not offer a la carte payment as an option but will accept the first lesson as a one time payment to give the student a chance to see what the lessons are like before committing. 12 lesson plans are available at a discount compared to paying for three 4 lesson blocks. Call for details.
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CANCELLATION POLICY
Students who cancel the day of the lesson are charged for the lesson. I am desiring to meet weekly, so I will try to schedule a makeup to cover the lesson asap. I am, however, not obligated to give a makeup under these circumstances. Any student who cancels 24 hours or more in advance of the lesson time are offered a makeup which must occur within a 2 week period from the date of the cancellation. Otherwise the lesson is considered having been taken. 2 makeups maximum are allowed over a 6 month period. Same day lesson cancellations are given a bye if deemed "an act of God". All cancellations are deemed accepted if received via email or person to person phone call. A text message or voice message will not hold as much clout as email or reaching me on the phone only because these methods are not as reliable for me. Never can a makeup be credited to a new pay period. Monthly lessons at a discounted rate are ongoing. Should a student decide to quit mid-month, no refund is given for the remainder of the month. Stoppage of lessons requires notification on or before the second to last lesson. Should you quit after this "safety period" without giving ample notice, you will be charged for one or 2 additional hour lessons. These policies are in place to protect both the teacher and the student. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call. Summer policy differs in that vacations and travel does not fall under the restrictions given to max cancellation per 6 month period. Thanks and so I know we are on the same page, please sign, date and return to me when convenient.
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SCHEDULE
Lessons are held on Mondays and Thursdays at the Seven Oaks clubhouse from 12:30 - 7:30. Cheval lessons are on Fridays from 10 am to 6 pm. Summer hours and available days are subject to change, but typically, three to four days of lessons are offered for the lessons with similar hours available.
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WHAT’S REQUIRED
The student is asked to bring in his or her guitar (tuned up prior if possible!). Having a gig bag or hard shell case is highly recommended. Depending on the level and age of the student, recommended books for learning to read standard notation include (but is not limited to) the following: Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Grade 1 (the Enhanced Edition preferred). A Modern method for Guitar Volume 1 (Berklee Press). Solo Guitar 1 (Frederick Noad) for classical guitar approach. Pick Style for Classical (Berklee Press) for further reading studies. A plethora of great books and materials are available to those who are intermediate level and beyond and any additonal means to gaining information and subsequent learning is deemed a good sign of a resourceful and serious pupil of the instrument! Having spiral-bound manuscript paper (5-line or staff paper) is also required for lessons. This is where everything outside of note reading will be kept and in the case of one student, he brought all 7 of his staff notebooks to the lessons on a weekly basis! The use of a capo, bringing in a metronome, iPod apps such as tuners and metronomes are all typical accessories brought to the lessons. Having extra picks and some spare guitar strings is always smart. Some students prefer to wear a strap but most do not as we are comfortably seated. I supply a music stand. Bringing in an iPod or MP3 player with a playlist full of favorite songs is an excellent way to get 1st hand experience on the importance of building good ears and the art of transcription. I am able to transcribe the guitar parts (and if there is no guitar, the harmony or melody from other instruments providing these functions) on the spot so that the student can go home and work up the tunes in detail. Riffs, chords and chord progressions, picking patterns, arpeggiated lines, counter lines, solos are all given equal importance and are subject to the students performance level. I will occasionally demonstrate a difficult part beyond the scope of a student as an opportunity for them to strive for higher marks and the results are typically gratifying!
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CONVENIENTLY LOCATED
Seven Oaks has one of the most convenient locations in the New Tampa area. It is considered to have some of the very best amenities in a modern clubhouse setting. Newly built and meticulously maintained, everything from entrance to parking to comfort inside is a big part of why I am pleased to offer lessons there. Exit 275 off of Interstate 75/275 North is State Road 56. Head east (right off the exit) and at the 1st set of lights just past the Sports Complex, take a left on Ancient Oaks Boulevard and into Seven Oaks. Go straight through the rotary/clock tower and after Pinecrest will be the clubhouse entrance on the right. If you pass it, you can take Sports Core Circle and follow around to the parking lot. The cafe is the best entrance for the lessons and is the left of the 2 available entrances. From SR 54, take Bruce B Downs Blvd and head south until you see Rooms to Go (on the right at the light) and Wiregrass mall (on the left at the light which is SR 56). Before the traffic signal is an entrance to Seven Oaks and it will take you to the same clock tower where you will follow Ancient Oaks by taking the first right off the rotary. The clubhouse is up on your right less than one mile ahead. From BBD and New Tampa, head north to Wiregrass mall and SR 56. Go either straight and make the left into Seven Oaks just beyond Rooms to Go or turn left on 56 and the Ancient Oaks Blvd entrance will be on your right at the traffic lights.
Cheval Athletic Club is located in Lutz and the main entrance which is gated, is off of Dale Mabry just prior to the Veteran's Expressway. The facility has been recently renovated (summer, '12) and the guitar lessons offered are part of an after school enrichment program for youngsters, as well as being available for middle and high school students and adults (primarily residents of Cheval). Cheval's amenities and reputation are second to none in the Tampa area being home of a TPC championship golf course and also having an equestrian component.
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WHAT CAN I EXPECT
My goal is to offer lessons where I will have the chance to find a students strengths, understand musical goals, delve into weaker areas (unless a beginner) and shed light on technique building, reading material, theory and concepts which will help the student reach their goals in a comprehensive manner. No two lessons are alike in the same way that everyone has their own unique fingerprint. Taking the fastest track to playing the guitar will always lead to the trappings that come with this tack. Building a solid foundation and subsequent floors above will provide the groundwork for true advancement on the instrument. By placing importance on topics like sight reading, the art of improvisation and understanding aspects of theory, grasping advanced topics will be obtainable and accomplished as long as a step by step approach is taken. I have taught for over 25 years and have the experience and the know how to bring my own studies, performance history, studio accomplishements and more to the lesson with a keen eye of helping the student find their own voice on the instrument. From beginner to intermediate to advanced, be it contemporary rock guitar styles, classic rock and blues, alt country, folk, classical, etc I can help you reach your goals, get you out of that rut, fire up the inner musical soul and promise that you will have a lot of fun doing it!
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RESUME
My musical resume can be found here.
YouTube VIDEO EXCERPTS here
SKYPE ON-LINE LESSONS
Cameron is highly anticipating the launch of an on-line teaching segment and will post information on lesson content, available times, pricing, etc. when available.
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