October Student of the Month – Jamie Whitford

This month, we’re happily featuring CCM guitar student, Jamie Whitford as our October 2022 Student of the Month! Jamie has been taking guitar lessons for 6 years! He currently studies at CCM’s Sunnyvale location with Teacher Tim. We are so proud of Jamie’s commitment and love for music.

Student of the Month – Jamie Whitford
Q: What is your name?
A: Jamie Whitford

Q: How old are you?
A: 14

Q: Who is your teacher?
A: Mr. Tim

Q: How long have you been taking guitar lessons?
A: 6 years

Q: What advice would you give to a guitar student just starting out at CCM?
A: Listen carefully to your teacher, especially when first starting out and doubly so, when you become a “know-it-all” teenager. The most important of all is to practice, practice and practice some more. Your perseverance and hard work quickly become rewarding and fulfilling.

Q: What piece are you looking forward to learning someday?
A: One of my favorite things is to spend my free time developing a fusion of classical themed variations to modern contemporary music. Eventually, I plan on learning the classical guitar interpretation of the Eagles “Hotel California”.

Q: What is your favorite thing about playing the guitar?
A: Playing guitar is uniquely personal. Weather practicing classical pieces, learning new material or fusing classical with modern contemporary, it’s uniquely mine to create and enjoy.

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Cheese pizza

Q: Do you have a pet?
A: I have a Labrador Retriever (ruff, ruff)

Q: Do you play any sports or do any other activities outside of music lessons?
A: That would be a most definite yes. I have a certificate in swimming. I’m on the volleyball and football teams at school, had achieved a blackbelt in Wushu (Kungfu), and just recently started studying self-defense forms: Hapkido and Krav Maga.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I’m interested in research and development (green engineering) of steam-hydro power systems as an alternative to carbon-based systems.

Q: What is your most memorable experience at CCM?
A: My most memorable experience at CCM was meeting my instructor, Mr. Tim. He has a way teaching that makes learning fun and practice enjoyable.
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Parent Spotlight – Chew Wan Kow & Richard Whitford
Q: We’re most proud to see that our son has developed into an accomplished classical guitarist while possessing the self-awareness that he still has a long way to go.

Q: What advice would you give a new parent starting in the program?
A: Nothing worthwhile comes easily, so have plenty of patience, remain supportive and keep it fun as your children work through their lessons.

Q: Why did you decide to give your child a musical upbringing?
A: At seven, Jamie had been studying martial arts and swimming for several years. We needed to add an activity that would stimulate his creative side, which is why we turned to music. I was skeptical when I read that learning an instrument has benefits of increasing brain development, improving memory and spatial temporal reasoning, enhances hand-eye coordination, may improve one’s ability to focus and so on. However, after six years of a musical upbringing, we can attest to these attributes as fact. The change was astounding.