Experienced tutor in Guitar in Oro Valley, Kim offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Perfect! Kim Bloom has taught me for more than a year now, in person as well as over the internet when I was out of town, bringing me up from an advanced level pianist (Mozart, Beethoven, a little Kapustin ; ) oy! ) w/ a tiny bit of folk/bluegrass/blues guitar exposure , into>.. currently playing intermediate pieces for the classical guitar . This has added immensely to my enjoyment of retirement: rather than replay old keyboard chestnuts from my younger piano playing years, I am challenged with tackling new repertoire (studies by sagreras, aguado, sor…), new sight reading , even the numbers and letters for LH AND RH fingerings are new!! My brain is definitely being challenged. Kim has many good ideas and is always willing to tailor curriculum and Alternative fingerings to suit my rather small hands. He is good at critiquing technique, taking a close look at not only my fingers but also , knuckles , elbow and shoulder and Feet positions…clearly the mark of a good teacher who knows what works to produce good tone, trills, nimble position changes, etc. Had I thought I would be tackling LeoBrouwer’s Un Día De Noviembre (find recordings on YouTube) a year after jumping in?? Absolutely Not. I myself taught college economics for years. it takes a certain perceptiveness to break a technique into its basic pieces for a newbie to understand AND implement. Kim can do that!
Btw he also helped me choose a guitar that fit me and he is teaching me nail care to enhance good tone from my right hand on the strings. He has great stories from his SF conservatory training and master classes with top concert guitarists of the world. Life in Tucson is great: a lot bc I had this ear worm of Granados played by Segovia having relocated as a northerner to the AZ desert landscape, and was rewarded just bc I LOOKED FOR A CLASSICAL GUITARIST to teach me , and found Kim’s name from asking at the music store in Tucson.
I think He is having some fun himself bc he gets to skip teaching me basic music reading and theory. So if you are an adult with some music training, don’t hesitate! If you are willing to put in the practice time, who knows where you can go…??!!
Ps. my MD says it is a good choice bc there is clinical research showing that learning a NEW instrument builds brain power. I am 66 and feeling younger when i am tackling each new study. Kim is looking to make time for more students, so I would recommend jumping at the opportunity.

Perfect! As someone who is self-taught and has been playing guitar for 10+ years, I was a bit skeptical to start taking lessons. Although, the classical guitar is a different kind of beast and figured learning the ins and outs from an experienced teacher would be the best thing for my long term musical goals. Kim was prompt reaching out to me after I inquired about lessons and we were able to set up a lesson that same day! I've been working with Kim for nearly a month now, and can say with confidence that Kim is a fantastic teacher. During our first lesson, Kim did a great job of seeking to understand my previous musical experience and goals with the classical guitar. Knowing these things, he provides excellent exercises during our lessons that align with my goals and skill level. Something I particularly love is that he also goes above and beyond outside of lesson time to answer any questions I have.

From the get-go you can tell he is passionate about both playing and teaching the classical guitar. His decades of experience studying music and playing alongside some of the great classical guitarists allows him to clearly and concisely evaluate all facets of your classical guitar playing abilities, like (but not limited to) posture, left & right hand positioning, musical theory, and working through specific arrangements. He also provides PDFs of exercises we'll be covering in advance of every lesson, which are super helpful for someone like myself who learns visually. I also play acoustic & electric guitar, and I've noticed that I'm subconsciously applying many of the things I'm learning with Kim while playing those instruments as well.

The only caveat: we'll run through many exercises relatively quickly in a given lesson, so be prepared to practice a LOT outside of your lessons and study the outside resources Kim recommends (e.g. Kim recommended purchasing a specific classical guitar book to work through outside of lessons). Although, like most things in life, you get out what you put in. That said, it should go without saying that the classical guitar is not something you can drastically better yourself at by taking one lesson and half-heartedly practicing for a couple hours per week. You need to be prepared to practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more in order to maximize the effectiveness of Kim's teachings and really begin to see the fruits of your labor. While this type of intensive effort can seem daunting at first (and I'd be remiss if I didn't get frustrated at times), when things click it's an immensely rewarding feeling.

Kim has already made a profound impact on my musical and classical guitar ability and I highly recommend him for your endeavor into the world of classical guitar!