Steve Kostyk Guitar Coach

My name is Steve Kostyk “The Guitar Coach” . Thanks for stopping by!

Gift Certificates are available!

If you are looking for an experienced teacher on Guitar you have found him. I’ve dedicated my life’s work to helping thousands of students realize their potential on guitar, be it recreational hobbyists or towards professional goals. Many of my students have successfully gone on to pursue professional careers in music performance and production.

During this pandemic period, all lessons are conducted safely online, in the comfort of your own home and in your familiar /safe surroundings.

Lessons are presented in a thoughtful, fun, patient, and highly effective manner, giving you the good guidance and coaching you need to excel in your guitar performance

Beginner to Advanced - All age groups! Once students are familiar with fundamentals, we can explore various musical genres, to include; rock, jazz, alternative, country, country rock, blues, country rock, folk, R &B, and bluegrass.

Special Instruction is also available for Theory, Ear Training, and Rock, Blues and Jazz improvising.

Rates are reasonable and competitive!

On the performance side, I have had the honour of appearing with or opening shows for many well known artists, to include: Martina McBride, Joe Nichols, Doug Kershaw, Tommy Hunter, Walter OSTANEK, Sloan, Big Sugar, Kim Mitchell, The Stampeders, Jeannie Sealy, Richard Kermode (Janice Joplin), Prairie Oyster, Rocco Granata, Ronnie Hawkins, the Good Brothers, Malton and Hamilton Comedy Team, David Wilcox, Toasted Western Swing Band, Joey Miskulin (Riders in the Sky), April Wine, Dick Griffo (Sam Butera Orchestra), and Sawyer Brown. I have had the honour of performing on 17 different Grammy Award Nominated Recordings, and have participated in two Grammy Awards.

I currently have 3 openings available for students. Applicants should have a willingness to learn, and also a willingness to dedicate a minimum of half hour per day towards developing their playing skills.

I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have, regarding your personal situation. Kindly call 289-990-7268

Thanks for visiting! I look forward to the opportunity of helping you to enjoy learning guitar!

Hi all! I will be accepting 10 new Guitar Students for the Fall/Winter session. Applicants should possess a willingness to learn, and also a passion for music!

Call today for more info or to register! 905-351-6249

All lessons are conducted online, so that students can enjoy learning in the comfort and safety of home!

Beginner to Advanced - Multi Genre: Rock, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Country, Country Rock, R and B, Alternative

40 years of dedicated Teaching Experience! I’ve helped hundreds of Niagara Musicians attain their Musical Goals, and I can help you as well! All age groups welcome!

Simple, progressive, patient instruction that gets positive results!

Hi all! I will be accepting 12 new Guitar Students for the Fall/winter session. Applicants should possess a willingness to learn, and also a passion for music!

Call today for more info or to register! 905-351-6249

All lessons are conducted online, so that students can enjoy learning in the comfort and safety of home!

Beginner to Advanced - Multi Genre: Rock, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Country, Country Rock, R and B, Alternative

40 years of dedicated Teaching Experience! I’ve helped hundreds of Niagara Musicians attain their Musical Goals, and I can help you as well! All age groups welcome!

Simple, progressive, patient instruction that gets positive results!

Gift Certificates now available! Steve Kostyk - "The Guitar Coach" is one of Niagara's leading Music Educators on Guitar. Steve has coached some of Niagara's most prolific Musical talents, and he can help you achieve your Musical Goals. Beginner to Advanced. Multi Genre to include Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Country, Alternative, Folk, and R & B.

Programs designed and tailored to the individual students needs. Learn to play by Standard Musical Notation or by ear. If you're musical aspirations are serious, or perhaps "Just for Fun", Steve will help you enjoy success on guitar!

Accepting 5 new students for the new year! All the best to you and yours for the season!

Hi all! I will be accepting 5 new students for the Fall Session. I’ve coached some of Niagara’s most prolific Guitarists and I can help you as well! Lessons with Steve Kostyk, Grammy award winning participant, and 17 time participating nominee. Call or message today to learn more or to secure your spot! Call 905-351-6249 today!

The Power of Determination - it was some 20 years ago. a new student signed up for guitar lessons. For purposes of this story i will call him "Ed". At the point of his very first lesson, Ed displayed a huge leap of faith. He bought himself a brand new Les Paul Custom Guitar. These guitars are quite expensive, and i remember thinking to myself that Ed was very serious about learning how to play. He was doing well on guitar, and after a few months of lessons he told me that he had just lost his job, and wanted to apply for the music program at Mohawk or Humber College. I thought this was ambitious to say the least, as it would be extremely rare for a beginner guitarist to pass a college entrance exam and audition only 6 months away. i tried to be as encouraging as possible, yet at the same time i tried to be practical and realistic. I told him that it might take a year or two before he would be ready for a college entrance exam and audition. "Go for the experience of doing the audition. you will then know exactly what to expect in the audition environment." I told him. He agreed. The events that occurred after that conversation were quite remarkable. Ed practiced guitar and studied Music at least 40 hours per week each and every week after that conversation. I had never experienced working with a student with that much dedication. After 6 months of preparing, off he went to do an audition at Mohawk College for the Applied Music program. The Instructor that conducted the audition asked Ed how long he had been playing. "Eight months", Ed replied.
The instructor could not get over how well he played after only eight months of practice and training. Ed was accepted to the pre program at Mohawk, which guaranteed him a chair in the main program upon successful completion of the six month prep program. and that was a MAJOR accomplishment. This is what Ed taught me from my experience in coaching him - Determination and dedication will trump logical conclusions every time. When an aspiring guitarist is enthused to the point of relentless dedication, they can and inexorably will succeed at their guitar learning experience!

Developing the Complete Musician -

Over the years I have had the distinct pleasure of coaching many young guitar players, as well as those who are mature students. Traditional approaches to teaching music are often limited to working in a method book, along with some supplementary theory.
Although these foundations are extremely important, they sometimes leave the aspiring guitarist with a less than complete musical experience. What if they want to learn to play by ear? In addition to learning the fundamentals, the student should be given coaching on how to become a complete musician. There are many concepts that a great music teacher can present to students to help them to become an instinctively creative player that can spontaneously play along by ear. Many students have the potential to be a great improviser or songwriter. A great teacher can help bring those talents and potentials to the surface!

I am currently accepting 3 new students for the Fall/Winter session on a private lesson basis. Inquiries please call 905-351-6249

To YouTube or not to YouTube? That is the question. Online videos can be of some benefit to the aspiring guitar player, if used correctly and judiciously! There are times when those videos can be beneficial, and there are also times where they can detrimental. Let's look at some of the shortcomings of online guitar lessons. Thirty years of teaching experience on guitar has taught me that in the beginning phases of the guitar learning process most students need plenty of reinforcement on techniques and concepts. There are times when I find myself repeatedly reminding students of things that are important, like finger posture and. Wrist angle just to name a couple. A video is just that - a video! It's a one way conversation between the producer of the video and the student. The instructor in the video can't monitor the students grasp of the concepts being presented, nor can the student ask a question to help clarify the material being presented. In the vast majority of cases, students do best with videos after they have had a several months of basic training with a real live experienced and qualified instructor.
When I take on a new student, I routinely discourage them from the influence of on line video tutorials for at least the first year. Too many chefs spoil the soup in the kitchen, and I have seen too many instructors confusing the student. On line video has its place, but it should be accompanied by the right time.