Professional acoustic and electric bassist in Chicago with over 5 years of teaching experience. All ages and levels are welcome - from 5 to 65 and beginner to advanced. Online and in-person lessons.

I don’t really know where to begin to explain how wonderful of a teacher Jesse truly is. I speculate that I am one of Jesse’s older if not oldest student. He was patient and kind and met me where I was in my process of learning to play the bass. He would give homework and would follow up on my progress. He was a coach and a teacher. I told him my long term goal and with weekly lessons he helped me set out to accomplish it with honest feedback and direction. I didn’t want to learn songs in a beginner’s book and that was fine with him. He also helped me learn how to be patient and accept that this entire process takes time. I was never skeptical about taking lessons online and I looked forward to each lesson. I will probably never keep a practice journal the way he does but I have a developed practice because of Jesse. I am learning to play with confidence and learning to trust the process. My right hand technique improves daily and I will keep working on my left hand and intonation…all of these things are better because of what I learned from Jesse.

Jesse is an exceptional teacher who truly knows his craft. From our first intake call, he understood my goals and tailored our lessons to meet them. In just over a month, I've seen remarkable improvement and feel much more confident in my playing. His passion for teaching shines through in every session. Highly recommend!

When I started playing bass, I spent several months trying to learn on my own and was not progressing well. Next, I tried two different instructors, and they accelerated my progress a little, but I kept looking for a better fit in terms of vibes and skills.
Then I met Jesse. We vibed well right away. He asked about my goals and learning style (no one else had). He demonstrated expertise in the instrument (specializing in double bass and bass guitar) and (importantly) in accessible methods of instruction.
After just a few lessons, I started progressing more quickly than ever before. He helped me learn palm muting for picking and a truly genius fingerstyle muting technique. He focused my attention on dynamics and fingering in a way that I hadn’t before, and my right hand technique was so bad that his instruction made a huge difference. My note consistency and accuracy started improving, his rhythmic training improved my timing and groove, and suddenly so many stuck points were relieved. I started sounding like a bass player.
Every lesson brings another layer of learning that keeps me engaged and improving. I want to continue working with Jesse for years to come. Just being with him feels good, and my daily practice between lessons has become so much more productive with his guidance.

I highly recommend Jesse. He is a great teacher and a terrific guy. Meets you where you're at and focuses on music that you like.

Jesse is incredibly thoughtful and patient when it comes to being a musician and educator. He truly strives to make you feel welcome and supported no matter your level of experience or knowledge. Jesse takes the time to understand your needs and work with you to develop not only your skills but musical interests. He has a natural teaching ability that translates to feeling more comfortable and confident as a musician. Jesse is an incredible teacher that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Jesse is an extremely talented musician and a wonderful teacher. He has an excitement around music that is infectious for his students. He is patient and kind with his students, while still pushing them to reach their potential. I can’t recommend him highly enough!

When I started taking bass lessons with Jesse, I often didn't practice and hardly knew what it was I should study or practice next. Within a few months of my lessons beginning, Jesse had worked with me to develop a structured and completely sustainable practice routine that I stick with to this day. Jesse always pointed me in new musical directions, but it was ultimately always my choice what I pursued at the end of the day, and he'd guide me through whatever it was I wanted to learn so that I could get what I wanted to out of my lessons. Now I find myself playing along to all my favorite songs, and I'm even playing in a community band.

Jesse has shown continual patience with my learning speed and is incredibly creative with his approach to tackling my unique learning style. I have found him to be kind yet persistent, ensuring that I understand the key concepts of whatever we're learning. I am also enjoying the freedom to guide my own learning via my interests, with Jesse structuring lessons based on my own specific goals. All round, a fantastic teacher!