General Information

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance-
Colorado State University, 1996

Master's Degree in Music Performance-
University of Denver-Lamont School of Music, 2001

Suzuki Guitar Foundation Unit 1-
Longay Guitar Center, Saratoga, California

Suzuki Guitar Foundation Unit 2-
Andrea Cannon, Guitar Arts Studio, Houston, TX

Suzuki Guitar Foundation Unit 3-
David Madsen, Ann Arbor Suzuki Guitar and Flute Institute

My name is Sean Behrens. I started the Behrens Guitar Studio in 2003 here in Austin, TX with the goal of providing high quality music education for young children, teens and adults. The flagship program in my studio is my Suzuki program for classical guitar, of which to my knowledge is the only one in Austin. Since it’s inception, I have acquired a clientele of devoted Suzuki families whose wish it is to make noble human beings through the study of music and more specifically, the classical guitar.

I am assuming that if you have come this far, you are interested in guitar lessons and what I have to offer. You are probably curious as to my background both as a person and a musician.

I grew up in Boulder, Colorado in the 70’s and 80’s and moved back and forth between Boulder, Ft. Collins and Denver during the 90’s in my college days. I come from a relatively musical family on my mother’s side. Both grandparents played some keyboards and my uncles all played the clarinet. My mother was very much into singing and took classical voice lessons from the church choir director. She took me to all of those lessons and according to her; at the age of 5 I was singing Italian arias. I remember none of them, all though I have been blessed with a decent singing voice. There was always music in our home. I was more or less raised on the three B’s (Bach, Beethoven and Bob Dylan).

My first instrument was the clarinet, as my mother thought that she was going to get a free clarinet out of the deal, on account of my uncles having played. Alas, my grandparents sold it, so my parents rented one. The clarinet did not do it for me. I think I continued to play it so as not to disappoint my parents. I found the instrument to be a social liability. You couldn’t play in Jazz band with it; it didn’t get the glory like trumpets did. The clarinet section just didn’t get to have any fun as far as I could see. I used to get chased home after school by people who wanted to give me grief for playing the clarinet. I dreaded taking the thing on the school bus because of the fiasco that would ensue. At this stage in my life, no one would have guessed that I would pursue music as a career. Despite all of what I went through, I still loved music, but I wanted to play rock and roll. In high school, I was listening to bands like Rush, Yes, Genesis, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin and Boston. In college, those influences would expand to include Steve Morse, The Dixie Dregs, Dream Theater, Al Di’Miola and a host of others. In high school I had devised a plan to begin playing the electric guitar. I had broached the topic with my parents and it was received with disdain. They dismissed the idea as passing teenage whimsical daydreaming. They had no idea how stout of a heart I had. In secret, I purchase a second hand electric guitar on lay away with my summer money. Prior to that I had been teaching myself Rush tunes on a friends guitar. Needless to say, my parents were infuriated that I would have the unmitigated audacity to spend my summer money on what was in their view, a wasteful purchase. They threatened to sell it when I wasn’t home. I wasn’t through being outrageous. My parents kept telling me that they would not allow me to bring my guitar to college because they were not going to help me through college and have me major in electric guitar… So I majored in classical guitar.

Ironically, it was bands such as Rush and Yes and Genesis that led me to the classical guitar. I figured that if I took classical lessons, I could make my rock more interesting and be able to play those wicked leads so much faster. I was fortunate that when I transferred enrollment to Colorado State University in 1992 to get to study with Japanese guitarist, Masakazu Ito, who had just completed his Masters Degree at DU and was starting the classical guitar program at CSU. Despite my age and inexperience, he took me on as a student. He made me start all over. Having taught myself for 3 years, I acquired a host of bad habits and a lot of tension. I think one of the most valuable things I learned from all of that was how to learn. I wanted to go on to the next level. In 1997, I managed to get accepted to the University of Denver’s Graduate program in guitar performance, under the tutelage of Maestro Ricardo Iznaola who had taught my previous teacher, Masa Ito. Under Ricardo, I learned how to practice more efficiently, how to relieve tension and how to make my hands work on the guitar the way nature intended. Ricardo Iznaola is a very holistic teacher. One thing that he impressed upon me the importance of bringing in quality work rather than quantity of work. He exposed the negative factors that effect practicing and ultimately advancement and replaced them with positive ones. I graduated from the University of Denver with my Masters in 2001. Shortly afterwards, I moved to Austin, TX with a Drummer I had been playing with in Denver named Ted Clarke. We had recorded a CD called Rising Sign on which I did all the guitar, bass and vocal work. We formed a progressive power trio here in Austin with bassist Harry Carole. That group lasted about a year. Meanwhile, I continued to pursue my classical guitar and began getting students. I was becoming very interested in the pedagogy of the guitar and how better to teach it. In particular, I was becoming interested in teaching young children.

I had heard of the Suzuki approach on the violin but not for the guitar. I was watching a middle school orchestra director in one of Austin’s finest middle schools teaching her beginning 6th grade class. They were bowing pep-per-o-ni pi-zza change play to get ready to learn Twinkle Little Star. As I observed, I thought, I should teach my own instrument this way. She told me that Suzuki training existed for guitar but I would have to travel some distance out of state to get it. A year later, I went to The Longay Guitar Center to do my initial training as a Suzuki instructor with Frank Longay. Watching him teach changed my life and my views on music education. I was also introduced to a wider community of teachers who all want to help grow to be the best teacher you can. Since going full on into Suzuki methodology, I have enjoyed very low student turnover. Some of my students have gone to summer institutes, which have improved their playing, and their outlook.

Suzuki’s teaching philosophy outlined in his book, “Nurtured by Love” caused me to reflect on my own life and experience as a musician and a student. Suzuki asserts that people are a product of their environment. Negative environments are inferior places to learn. Everyone should have the luxury of being able to learn essential skills without the burden of high stress.

I continue grow both as a teacher and player. Currently, I am also recording my first solo guitar CD. I am also one part of a guitar/violin duo called the Chanterelle Duo. You can sample some mp3’s of me if go to the sound clips page.