Guitar & Music Production with Jonathan
Jonathan is a musician, songwriter and audio engineer whose teaching combines technical depth with a playful, intuitive and student-centered approach. With a background in audio engineering from Belmont University and years of experience as a freelance engineer and multi-instrumentalist, he teaches recording, mixing, guitar, mandolin, and bass while encouraging students to build a lasting and meaningful relationship with music. Jonathan’s lessons balance foundational technique with creative exploration, helping students expand both their technical understanding and intuitive musical instincts. Drawing from his evolving personal practice in songwriting and production, he creates supportive learning environments that emphasize curiosity, experimentation and finding confidence in one’s own creative voice.
How It Works
Schedule a one-time intro lesson to meet an instructor, share your goals, and experience how lessons work.
1. Book an Intro Lesson
If your intro lesson feels like the right match, we’ll help you enroll. If not, we’ll set up another intro lesson to connect you with the right guide.
2. Find your Instructor
Once you’ve found your guide, start your weekly lessons—your dedicated time each week to create, learn, and grow. Enrollment renews monthly.
3. Enroll in Weekly Lessons
Meet the Instructor
What do you teach?
Intro to Recording and Mixing: We'll learn how to record and mix a song from start to finish. I'll show you practical methods for mic'ing acoustic instruments, tracking vocals, mixing with EQ and compression, using VSTs and effects and more. We'll have a fun time exploring production techniques while also covering the fundamentals of audio engineering.
Mixing and Mastering: We'll dive more deeply into advanced mixing techniques and learn basic mastering techniques. Learn about parallel processing, mixing with busses, automation, outboard gear and more. We'll do ear training exercises to develop a deeper sensitivity to sound and connect this to our mixing and mastering workflow.
Intro to Acoustic Guitar: We'll learn basic chord shapes, strumming patterns, and how to play your favorite songs at varying skill levels. We'll move from reading chord charts to tablature and learn how to embellish simple ideas for added fun. I love teaching classics and also guiding you through music you're interested in learning.
Intro to Mandolin: learn basic chord shapes and right hand flat-pick technique. I love teaching fiddle tunes and bluegrass, as well as exploring the mandolin as an instrument with experimental potential.
Intro to Bass Guitar: We'll learn classic bass lines, iconic riffs, and how to write your own bass parts in a group context.
What makes you want to share your skills and knowledge?
I learn by teaching! I feel that generally across life at least. And I believe if I can help people believe in themselves then I would like to do that.
What is your experience in your craft and how are you evolving?
I started playing guitar at 10 years old, mandolin at 12, and soon after picked up bass, songwriting, and music production. At 18, I enrolled in the audio engineering program at Belmont University, and since graduating in 2021 I’ve worked primarily as a freelance engineer while continuing to pursue my own music projects. My earlier work leaned heavily into detailed, electronic-forward production, but after a particularly transformative tour experience, I felt drawn to reconnect with my voice and return to a simpler, more direct relationship with songwriting. I stepped away from performing for a period and focused on singing daily, writing on guitar, and rediscovering music as a grounding and restorative practice. Influenced by artists like The Beatles, Judee Sill, and Elliott Smith, my current work blends intimate songwriting with subtle electronic elements, and for the first time I feel fully confident performing my songs with minimal accompaniment.
What’s your style of teaching?
I'm focused on nurturing creativity, enjoyment, and play while remaining goal oriented and technically minded. I want students to feel at ease and to help them build a relationship to music that is healthy and long lasting, but I also love to push people to their full potential. I love presenting people with new ways of thinking about music that expand both their technical understanding and intuitive awareness of their craft.
What keeps you creatively inspired?
Lately it's movies, exploring NY (I'm big on the beach and Jamaica Bay), my close friendships, listening to lots of HTRK...