As a music educator, I bring extensive, multi-faceted knowledge of music as well as a wealth of teaching experience in many areas. I began studying music more than 20 years ago with private instruction on the piano and clarinet. For the past 11 years I've been focused intently on the guitar. While I began as a self-taught guitarist, I've also studied privately with some of the Bay Area’s finest mu
sicians including guitarists Jeff Massanari and Ian Faquini, world-renowned bassist Jeff Denson, drummer Jeff Marrs, and world-renowned saxophonist and composer Dan Zinn. I've taught guitar in the bay area for the past 7 years and for the past 2 years I’ve studied jazz improvisation, theory, ear-training, and pedagogy full-time at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, CA. Beyond my music experience, I have a degree in Psychology from Dartmouth College, 5+ years of work experience in product development and sales for technology companies in the bay area including Twitter and Spotify, as well as 2+ years of experience training high-school students for college entrance exams in 1-on-1 and group settings (with Larkspur, CA-based Compass Education Group). I draw on a wide array of experiences to inform my teaching approach and I am continuously incorporating new methodologies and technological tools to ensure my students get the most out of their lessons.
While my student roster ranges between the ages of 6 and 65, I generally focus on ages 6-18
Here are some more details:
-While Conor teaches all ages and levels, he focuses mainly on children. Most of his students range in age from 6 to 12.
-Conor also tutors ACT and SAT college admission exams with Compass Education Group based in Larkspur, CA.
-Conor worked for 5 years in technology in San Francisco for companies including The Echo Nest, a music tech company aquired by Spotify, and most recently for two years as an Account Executive at Twitter
Since moving to the Bay Area in 2010, Conor has played for a number of different outfits, including Hella Good, a local cover band playing pop, funk, and rock hits, and the East Bay Funk Ensemble. Ophishall - Ophishall is a Phish tribute band playing shows around Oakland and the bay area. We are building out our gig calendar for this coming year and will keep you updated! We will also have a website soon for bookings.
2. A yet to be named groove-based neo-soul quartet intent on finding the center of collective rhythm. This band will incorporate elements of funk, soul, neo-soul, hip-hop, and jazz playing originals and covering classics from artists like Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, and D'Angelo. More to come!
3. A solo project under the moniker "Microwave Kid" pursuing the potent synthesis of modern electronic music technology with traditional instrumentation through improvisational exploration. Stylistically, this project finds its roots in the electronic jam-band scene, where Conor was first inspired by bands like Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), The Disco Biscuits, Phish, Lotus, and Pretty Lights, and later bands like Dopapod, Papadosio, The Motet, and others. Check out some of his earlier works below. https://soundcloud.com/microwave-kid/sets/microwave-kid-early-tracks
