Niel Brooks:
– Has played guitar since age 12, and has been teaching since the late 1990’s.
– Studied privately under Jimmy Herring and Jeff Long
– Studied jazz performance at Manhattan School of Music
– Studied percussion in High School and at Furman University
– Has toured throughout the U.S. with various alt-country bands and singer-songwriters
– Specializes in songwriting, country, rock, and jazz.
– Featured on NPR Echoes.
– Niel is certified in Logic Pro and teaches recording techniques for home and professional studios.
Niel is an award-winning songwriter and producer – he’s also the ‘mad scientist’ of the Eastside teaching staff. He is excellent with beginners, and specializes in songwriting, fingerstyle, country, Americana, and jazz. Niel is always pushing students to listen to as many different styles of music as possible, and to never become complacent.
When not teaching, Niel performs in small auditoriums and coffee houses, builds instruments out of found objects (what most would consider trash), collects vintage field recordings, and obsesses over antique recording equipment. Niel currently plays in several bands, including: Mourning Dove, Solo – (www.nielbrooks.com), Grupo Caudillos, and The Jaywalkers.
Sam Burgess:
– Has been teaching since the late 1980’s.
– Taught at Phil’s music in Mauldin, SC for sixteen years, thirteen as head guitar and bass instructor.
– Along with music education and general education, in college Sam studied music theory, composition and performance with professors from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the Peabody Institute (Preparatory) in Baltimore.
– Extensive recording and playing experience solo and in bands for over 25 years.
– Sam has performed and recorded with a wide variety of musicians, including members of REM, Kansas, Ozzy Osbourne’s band, and Simon & Garfunkel’s band.
– Many of Sam’s students have gone on to careers in music, from students with master’s degrees employed as music ministers and praise and worship leaders, to guitarists and bassists in touring rock bands.
Sam is one of our busiest teachers. Along with teaching at Eastside, he is currently playing with progressive trio The CBS Project, rock band Moonshine Opera, and is always recording and playing his own music. His other hobbies include photography, reading, and hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Specializing in rock, jazz, and blues, Sam tailors the lessons to the student: From the beginner just starting a new hobby, to the advanced player working on songwriting, technique and improvisation.
For more information about Sam, go to: samburgess.webs.com