Guitar

CSM guitar instructors offer lessons to students of all ages and abilities in a variety of styles such as pop, rock, blues, classical and jazz on acoustic, electric, and bass guitar. Very small instruments for younger students are available at Cary Music Supply. In addition, lessons on ukelele, lute, mandolin and banjo are offered. Students are encouraged to participate in our group ensembles and jam sessions.

Instructors

Yan Westerlund - Cary, NC — Cary School of Music

Yan Westerlund hails from Eau Claire, WI, where he started studying drums and piano at the age of eight years old. He picked up alto saxophone in middle school, joining the concert and jazz bands while also teaching himself to play guitar. By 7th grade, Yan began composing original music for his own bands to perform as well as covering songs ranging from those of Steppenwolf, RUN DMC, and the iconic Mortal Combat theme song. Yan quickly took a liking to performing at school talent shows, fundraisers, graduation parties, YMCA lock-ins and Battle of the Bands competitions. He eventually joined his high school jazz band playing drums, with whom he performed on Lincoln Center Stage in NYC for the renowned Essential Ellington Jazz Festival for two consecutive years. That experience, as well as other jazz band performances backing legends like Clark Terry, Seneca Black, and Randy Sabien inspired Yan to continue to pursue music at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies. There, he studied percussion, drum set and piano with professors Dave Schmalenberger, Ryan Frane, Gene Koshinski, Charles Brooks and Nickolai Zielinski. Yan continued to have opportunities backing acclaimed jazz artists like Billy Taylor, Joey Defrancesco, Robin Eubanks, Greg Abate, and SO Percussion through the UMD music department.

In 2009, Yan relocated to Durham, NC, with his long-time band, Canine Heart Sounds. He quickly became busy working as a studio and touring drummer for many renowned artists, including Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, Sylvan Esso, Tallest Man On Earth, Waxahatchee, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Mipso, Basia Bulat, Bowerbirds, Phil Cook, Lost In The Trees and many others. These tours brought Yan to acclaimed music festival stages all over the world, including Prima Vera Sound, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Roskilde, Iceland Airwaves, Pitchfork, Big Ears, All Points East, NOLA Jazz Fest, Montreux Jazz Fest, Calgary Folk Fest, and various others, as well as performing on prime time television broadcasts like the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and CBS Saturday Morning.

Yan also leads his own instrumental group, Quetico, as the sole composer and drummer. Quetico released their sophomore album Know You Are in 2022, which was followed by a festival performance curated by Durham

record label Psychic Hotline. Quetico shared the stage with acclaimed artists like Arooj Aftab, Bartees Strange, Indigo De Souza, Lambchop and many others.

Starting back at Schmitt Music during his freshman year of college and continuing throughout his career, Yan has maintained a strong passion for teaching music. He loves sharing his musical approaches, ranging from improvisational skills to traditional technique to navigating the music industry. Yan's main goal with every lesson is to maintain excitement, focus and creativity. He hopes to inspire each student to set individual goals and eventually create their own unique, musical voice.

Ryan Mole — Cary, NC — Cary School of Music

Ryan Mole graduated from UNCG in 2023 with a B.M. in Music Performance. During his time at school, he performed twice at New York’s Lincoln Center. Upon graduating, he received the UNCG Jazz Studies Award for Excellence. He’s performed with notable musicians Wycliff Gordon, Sean Jones, and Camille Thurman. Ryan has organized various jazz jam sessions in the Greensboro area such as Oden Brewery and Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast. He performs with groups of various genres such as R&B, Alternative Rock, Funk, Pop, and many more. He has several years of experience studying and teaching at the Cary School of Music and is comfortable teaching all ages and skill levels. Ryan is also comfortable teaching electric bass, ukulele, and beginner piano.

Jon Cheney — Cary, NC — Cary School of Music

Craig Wiggins received the Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz and Studio Music from The University of Tennessee and the Master of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance from The University of Memphis. He grew up in east Tennessee, where he began performing Gospel, Country, and Bluegrass in his youth. In his high school years, Craig performed with Rock and Jazz ensembles, and toured with a professional Rock ensemble managed by Young American Showcase for two years after graduation. He developed an interest in historical instruments in graduate school and began performing with Historically Informed Performance (HIP) ensembles, playing 14-string Italian theorbo, Spanish vihuela, 5-course Baroque guitar, and Renaissance lute. Craig has performed extensively in the Classical Guitar Duo and Classical Guitar & Flute formats, and as a solo Jazz guitarist. Craig began teaching private guitar lessons at age 14, and during his college years taught private and group guitar at several institutions. He also taught Music Appreciation, Music History, and Guitar Literature as a teaching assistant during graduate school. Craig is happy to be teaching for Cary School of Music and looks forward to every teaching experience.

Jon Cheney is a private music instructor, composer and performer from Fayetteville, North Carolina. After completing a BA from Campbell University with a double major in music composition and acting, Jon spent the years from 2013-2018 teaching private lessons in piano, guitar, voice, drum set, and mandolin in various studios, including here at the Cary School of Music! In addition to his teaching schedule, Jon has served as guitarist, singer, and composer/arranger for East Coast Entertainment artist Bantum Rooster since 2011. As a composer, Jon has premiered works for choir, solo piano, solo guitar, and string quartet. As of 2020, Jon has completed a Master’s Degree in theory and composition and is excited about expanding his performing opportunities and returning to Cary to bring musical knowledge to students of all ages!

Russell Favret - Guitar Instructor - Cary, NC

Russell Favret has over a decade of experience teaching both private and group guitar for skill levels ranging from beginner to professional. He graduated from Florida State University in 2013 and has since performed with Rapsody, 9th Wonder, Rakim, Braxton Cook, Jeff Bradshaw and countless other artists both on the local and national level. He has toured the country and performed at the B.E.T Hip Hop Awards and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. His teaching experience includes Head Jazz Guitar Instructor at Florida State Univeristy Summer Music Camps in 2012 and 2013 and Durham Public Schools Jazz Day 2019 and 2020.

Nathanael "Natty" Traywick is a multi-instrumentalist and composer/arranger with nearly a decade of experience playing and performing music in the Cary, NC area. Natty is a Cary School of Music alumnus with many years of training in music theory, jazz guitar, piano, bass guitar and more. He enjoys teaching students of all ages and levels. Natty is excited to join the CSM faculty as he furthers his music education in areas such as drums and recording.

Matt Peterson — Cary, NC — Cary School of Music

Matt Peterson is a world touring multi-instrumentalist, composer, music director and private teacher. Originally from Superior, WI, Matt grew up in a musical family with several Berklee College of Music Alum uncles and aunts. He discovered his love of music at age 10 after first hearing Jimi Hendrix and obsessively taught himself blues-rock guitar in a matter of months. Through his early teens he studied jazz guitar at the John S. Duss Memorial Music Conversatory under the instruction of Tom O'Hara. In high school he became enamored with the piano and later studied composition and counterpoint with award winning composer Tyler Kaiser at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, as well as joining the University Big Band and Jazz combos on piano under the direction of Professor Greg Kehl Moore.

After many years of performing in diverse bands/ensembles/churches and privately teaching in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, Matt moved to Durham, NC in 2011 to pursue an abundance of music opportunities on the East Coast. He quickly established himself as a trusted live and recording instrumentalist for artists such as Molly Sarle, FREEMAN (Gene Ween of WEEN), Grandma Sparrow, and Paperhand Puppet Show among others.

Matt has spent the last 3 years touring full-time as guitarist/keyboardist/music director for the artists Hurray for the Riff Raff (Nonesuch Records) and Anjimile (4AD), which brought fulfilling opportunities to play for many thousands internationally in venues and festivals such as Newport Folk Fest, Bonnaroo, Prima Vera Sound, Pitchfork, and NOLA Jazz Fest among others. He’s also had the privilege of playing with the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band on several occasions and made a musical appearance on Late Night With Stephen Colbert in 2022.

Matt enjoys teaching students from all walks of life and skill levels, always preferring to meet students "where they're at." On both guitar and piano, his stylistic and technical experience spans rock, classical, folk, jazz, gospel, experimental new music and everything in between. His primary goal as an instructor is to get to the heart of which songs, artists, styles, and techniques will best keep students engaged, inspired, focused and excited for every lesson.