Testimonial

Thank you for being such a great teacher and I love the way you teach and communicate with my two boys.
 
 
P.L. Paris, France
Russell Newman was my first guitar instructor when I was 11 years old. I use the skills and techniques he taught me then to this day, as a musician and

a music instructor. Prompt and precise, Russell has the unique ability to teach a wide variety of musical topics and instruments. He is careful, caring and compassionate and can teach anyone at all ages and experience levels.”

 

Here is a link to my profile at Belmont University:

Nick Palmer
“I have been taking live guitar lessons in Paris with Russell for more than a year already. I started as a beginner knowing little to nothing about playing the guitar; but after the year was over, I could hear myself and realize the great amount of improvement I had made. Unfortunately, Russell moved back to the United States, so I decided to try the Skype lessons Russell suggested. I have been taking Skype lessons with him for several months now and I believe there is almost no difference than having lessons live. I look forward to continue working with Russell in the future, as it has been a great experience for me.”

 
 
S.Y. Paris, France
Our son Andrew first started drum lessons in our home in Paris with Russell in November 2011.  Our other son Christopher became interested in learning to play electric bass guitar the following February after witnessing his brother’s drum sessions and Russell’s teaching style.  Russell’s fantastic manner in which to engage and motivate our boys has resulted 4 ½ years later in 2 pretty talented musicians: Andrew now also plays guitar, and Christopher has decided to pursue Music Performance and Business as he heads off to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.  We can confidently state that Russell has had a significant influence on their appreciation for anything musical.  Christopher spent a 5-week session at Berklee during the summer of 2015 playing bass in a variety of ensembles while studying theory, inspired in large part by Russell’s tutelage. We were initially dismayed to learn of Russel’s departure from Paris, but we continued with remote Skype video lessons consistently over the last 10 months – they have worked out quite well! They have been able to maintain their strong rapport and it is a perfectly acceptable way of interacting.

 

Also impressive is Russell’s own talent; without any egoistic pretense, not only is he able to play any style of music on multiple instruments, he has in depth skills around music theory. We love his approach:  “What do you want to play/what song do you like?   OK – let’s figure it out together.”  – He gets the boys interested in playing the music they love while teaching them the components of the songs and theory behind.  Russell is patient, always encouraging, and never has declined to give something a try even though it might be complex and beyond the boy’s abilities.  He LISTENS! What more can I say other than both Christopher and Andrew tell us he’s great, they look forward to their lessons with him, and they have improved as musicians primarily through his guidance. We can’t recommend Russell highly enough!!

Mark