Home Jaime Garamella
Jaime teaches singing, guitar, and bass, and heads the Voice Studio at NYC Guitar School. Teaching at NYCGS since 2007, he especially loves working with beginners. He has literally written the book on singing for our Vocal Workshop group classes. Students are often surprised to find they really can sing when they thought they couldn’t. Jaime is versed in current pop, classic & alternative rock, soul, folk, country, and blues, and has an abiding love of Earl Grey tea, Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine, dark chocolate, and college basketball.
Jaime grew up in western Connecticut, where he was inspired to play guitar after watching Nirvana Unplugged on MTV. He lived in Durham and Chapel Hill, NC; studying jazz and touring in rock, blues, R&B, and country bands. He then studied songwriting and recording, as well as guitar and voice, at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He continues to study voice in NYC with Marlon Saunders, choir director for Stevie Wonder. Jaime was the frontman and songwriter for alt-rock band The Spanish Channel, which released three albums, opened for national acts, was mentioned in SPIN and Guitar World, and toured widely. He now plays bass and sings in modern rock band Thrilldriver, who have shared the stage with Stryper and Joe Lynn Turner. Jaime also plays for kids in the band Shira & Friends; writes secular and worship songs; and plays solo acoustic. His favorite gig ever is leading a weekly volunteer music class at his son’s elementary school. JaimeGaramella.com
Lick of the Month – “The Pretender”
Jaime demonstrates How to Play the 9 Essential Guitar Chords!
Jaime performing at the Student Showcase!
Watch Jaime and The Spanish Channel perform People Pleaser!
I love taking the vocal class! Jaime is an excellent teacher and very encouraging to us. I am learning so much each week and the group is so pleasant. It is so nice to spend time with people who like to sing and each voice is unique. That harmony…wow!!!!!
It’s a great environment and there are a ton of nice people always ready to help.
I am always greeted with a smile and they are very helpful with what I need.
Enthusiasm, inventiveness, joyfulness.
Jaime really cared about each person in the class…Jaime is a phenomenal and dedicated teacher. He took a genuine interest in helping me to improve my playing, and provided me with precisely the direction I needed to become a better guitarist.
Well, all my fears went out the window when I met Jaime at the 1st rock band class. With Jaime’s guidance, encouragement, patience and leadership, I was able to play & sing two songs in my 1st time ever rock band show. A lifetime dream has been accomplished. With my new found confidence, I joined my 2nd rock band class. Jaime can make your rock star dreams come true.
Jaime is a great guitar teacher. He was our teacher for one of my “Rock Band” classes at the NYC Guitar School. Not only did he prepare us for our performance, he made the experience fun. On top of that, he’s a really nice guy.
I’ve studied guitar with Jaime for about a year now. Working with him has improved my playing immensely. He is not only a great guy, but he is a great teacher, blending fundamentals (the tough stuff) with musicality (the easy stuff). We’ve also worked some on singing, and playing and singing at the same time. He has really helped my performance skills. I strongly recommend him.
I highly recommending taking guitar lessons with Jaime. In my first lesson I was an absolute beginner, and my goal was to be able to play guitar and sing for my friends and family. Not only has he helped me achieve this goal but along the way I am gaining a deeper appreciation for music and the learning process in general. I now hear music differently, which was a totally unexpected and interesting result. The lessons are a great balance between learning songs and techniques; he is sneaky that way. We take a fun and popular song and use it as a way to understand a broader technique and then recycle it weeks later in a different context. I am really excited about continuing to study with Jaime.
Jaime was my instructor for New York Guitar School’s Rock Band class and helped give me the working knowledge and confidence to get on stage for my first ever performance . He even sang in our band. He’s a great teacher and performer. Can’t recommend him highly enough.
Jaime is simply said wonderful! From my first lesson till my most recent one, he has made me feel empowered to achieve my guitar playing goals. You can’t help rubbing off his great positive ”YOU CAN DO IT” attitude. The lessons are never boring and you always feel like you are jamming with an old friend. Also he is excellent at recognizing the areas in which to challenge your progress or pointing out where to improve while remaining constructive. Arrived at my first lesson armed with the knowledge of an E minor chord, today I can play almost any tune I desire! I assure you, you won’t disappointed.
With Jaime’s encouragement the band decided to stick together and we continue to write and perform on our own. I can’t help but think that our connection as a band might have been different except for the galvanizing force of Jaime’s charm, talent, experience and focus.
I have wanted to learn to play guitar my entire life, and I put off lessons because I was half convinced that I could never learn and, therefore, incredibly scared to try. After I had my first lesson with Jaime, all of my fears dissipated. He has made this learning experience comfortable and enjoyable, and I am amazed at how much I have learned over my first 12 lessons. The confidence Jaime has had in me since my first lesson has made me gain confidence in myself. I could not ask for a better teacher.
I studied rock band with Jaime and he is a great teacher! Very patient, makes corrections and suggests alternative ways of playing notes/chords in a very encouraging way, but without too much hand-holding. You have to do the work if you want to get better. Jaime is also a great resource. If you need gear, he can tell you what to look for, what to avoid and why, and where to research or buy it. I needed a drum teacher and he helped me find one. I also needed to brush up (desperately – lol!) on my music theory and he suggested a couple of books. He’s a genuinely nice person too. Last but not least, Jaime is an incredibly talented musician who brings real-world performing experience to the table. I would definitely study with him again.
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