Dan Dreger, Northbrook, IL
Profession: Lawyer
Guitar Lessons: 2018 - Present
Shows Played: 6
Songs Played Live: 36
Songs Recorded: 18
“I was a self-taught guitar player in college and my twenties, then I put guitar aside for decades. In 2018 I looked to pick it back up again and wanted to take lessons mainly to have a little fun and help support a musical environment in our household ... my young daughters are learning piano. After discovering Mike and his lessons, I've aimed higher. With his lessons, I've rekindled the desire I had in my younger years to continually improve my playing and expand my musical knowledge, with the difference now that it all comes faster and easier with his expert guidance. After only two years of taking lessons with Mike, my playing has surpassed what it had been and my ear and my understanding of what's going on musically is leaps and bounds better. And, of course, Mike has helped me to break some bad, self-taught habits that were holding me back. I recently revisited some songs I had struggled or failed to learn in my twenties, and now I can quickly pick them up. Mike is a very patient, observant teacher and he will help you make continual progress in your playing and in your understanding of the fretboard and of music generally. I find Mike's emphasis on his students learning complete songs, recording them and then performing them in live shows to be an incredibly wise choice on his part. When I started with Mike, I was skeptical about the value of spending time on recording sessions and student shows since I have no pretensions of being a recording artist or in a band at this point in my life, but they're now a highlight for me. Recording in a studio and playing onstage with others in front of a crowd is a lot of fun, it scratches that "rock star" itch a bit for this aging dad and it fosters the motivation and discipline to continue to put the work in on my playing and to take ownership over my progress. Mike's format of core lessons supplemented by different packages of optional classes on specific topics and skills has provided me with great value and exposed me to a wide variety of musical topics and genres. I've been very impressed with Mike as a teacher, and I have no doubt that he can help you reach your goals on the guitar, whether they're modest or they're sky-high.”