Classical Guitar School of New York

I began playing guitar at the age of twelve, my interests consisted mostly in rock and roll and other popular music. Over time as my interests matured and evolved I began to take an interest in classical music, and the orchestral and self-sufficient style of the classical guitar, where no accompanying instruments and persons were required to produce beautiful and sublime pieces. My guitar teacher at the time suggested that I take a few lessons with “the master” Yasha Kofman, as he put it, to develop my skills in the area of classical guitar. My first lessons with Yasha were extremely memorable, I remember playing simple pieces, but the emphasis on beauty over style and speed was apparent from the start. This made these first lessons more about beauty and art than the guitar necessarily, and it compelled me to practice this new craft. With the guitar as a vessel for self-expression and beauty, I wanted to perfect the pieces and strive for greater heights on the guitar. It was never a matter of having a demanding instructor, rather Yasha somehow made me demand more from myself, and not simply to develop new technical skills but to create beautiful music that would affect myself and those around me. I have been studying with Yasha for a number of years now and this remains the case, his lessons remain insightful and challenging while remaining relentlessly positive and open, at this point he is more of a mentor to me than simply an instructor of classical guitar. I would imagine that whatever an aspirant classical guitar musician is seeking, be it concert performances or simple improvement for its own sake, they will find it with this most graceful and affable of instructors, a true master, Yasha Kofman.