Offering online guitar lessons via ZOOM 

 

What you need for online guitar lessons:

-a computer, tablet or smartphone with a camera

-an internet connection (the faster the internet speed, the better!)

-test your internet speed  HERE (recommended download speed is 30 mbps or greater)

-the ZOOM app

How do online lessons with ZOOM work?

 -There is NO purchase necessary to use ZOOM.

-You simply download the ZOOM app that's appropriate for the device your using. 

-Once your lesson is scheduled, you will receive a "meeting" invitation via email.

-When it's time for your lesson, just click on the link in the email. 

-If you haven't already downloaded  ZOOM on your device, you will automatically be redirected to download the ZOOM app. If you already have the ZOOM app, you'll simply enter the meeting. 

-Learn more about ZOOM  

Click the "SCHEDULE NOW" button below to schedule a 30 minute or 1 hour guitar lesson.  Please note that you can only schedule and pay for one lesson at a time using the online scheduling service. Of course, you can schedule as many lessons as you want, but at this time, each lesson will be a separate transaction. 

After you register, feel free to send along an email to tell us a little bit about yourself. 

PAYMENT POLICY:  Lessons are paid for in advance, with payment due the first week of each month.   You will be prompted to pay online after scheduling your lesson(s). 

NOTE: Established, reoccurring students who prefer to use PayPal, can pay for lessons via the drop down payment below. 

CANCELLATION POLICY:  Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance in order to receive credit for that lesson.  There are no refunds. 

Pay for Lessons Online via PayPal

LESSON TIPS

GUITAR & MUSIC SUPPLIES  

- A nylon string guitar is required in order to execute technique specific to classical and flamenco music styles.

- For flamenco, you will need to put a 'golpeador'  or 'tap plate' on your guitar.  

- A metronome or a metronome app on your smart phone or tablet. 

- A footstool or other guitar support. 

-A music stand for your music.

-Method and/or repertoire books. 

COMPUTER, CAMERA & INTERNET SERVICE

-Position your camera so that both your hands and your face are visible.

-Set up your lesson area as close to your internet modem as possible. The farther away you are from your modem, the slower your connection will be. This will result in slow response time and both audio and video latency (delay). Close to the source is better. 

-Audio quality can be improved by using a microphone and/or headphones. 

-Be mindful of the lighting in your lesson area. A brightly lit room usually contributes to a sharper video image. 

 

I've been taking lessons with Maria for two years now. You couldn't ask for a kinder more patient teacher, who has improved my guitar playing immensely. ”

— Nick Dyer

Playing Albeniz's Leyenda was a goal of mine since I was about 20 years old. 20+ years later, I saw Maria perform the piece and contacted her about lessons. She was extremely patient and able to impart difficult tremolo technique to me as an adult learner. Today, I can actually play the piece. We also work on Flamenco pieces and Flamenco technique has been creeping into much of the music I play. It's been a blessing to have such a knowledgeable, professional musician as my teacher for these past few years. ”

— William Ullrich

With her unique understanding of flamenco forms, rhythms, phrasing, techniques and history, Maria has been an invaluable help in my trying to learn this style. Also, her easy, relaxed teaching style and point-on observations of even the most subtle phrasing or technical issues allows her to articulate the intangibles of this complex form in a very simple, easy-to-understand way. Whether I'm looking for an analytical or technical approach, or just looking to sit back and play, I've found Maria's teaching style allows me to get just what I'm looking for and has made each lesson unique and also something to look forward to and to build on. ”

— John Pezzulo

I first started taking flamenco guitar lessons in college a long time ago. I gave it up for other pursuits but started again a couple of years ago and was extremely fortunate to find a teacher of Maria's expertise and personality right here in the Capital District. Maria is not only an excellent teacher and performer but also a terrific person with whom to just spend time. My lessons have become not only effective learning experiences but a visit with a friend as well. If anyone has an interest in learning flamenco guitar, I cannot imagine a finer "Maestra" than Maria Zemantauski. ”

— Lee Rausch

Like so many of her students and her fans, I stand in complete awe of Maria Zemantauski – her artistry, her virtuoso skills, her amazing compositions and her endlessly cheerful disposition. As a student with modest talent, who couldn’t read a note of music when I started taking lessons, I have always been so grateful that Maria took me on to study flamenco. I can now read (some) music. I can (sometimes) count the complex “compás” (rhythms) of the many styles of flamenco. But none of that would have been possible without Maria’s endless patience for teaching. She has inspired me, myself a teacher, to be more patient with my own students. She never once made me feel like an idiot for studying a form of guitar that I adore but which is way beyond my natural ability. Indeed, the most telling example of Maria’s approach to teaching emerges from the way she kept me going in the summer 2002, when I was in chemotherapy treatment. I would arrive at a lesson barely able to lift my right arm but she would get me strumming nonetheless. Maria is a staunch believer that music is life itself, and she devotes herself to both. Like all of her students, I feel blessed to know her and to have had so much inspired and wonderful instruction from such a great soul. ”

— Claudia Ricci