Bio

An active Guitarist, and Composer for over 30 years, Billy Newman has worked on exploring the parallels within American Jazz and Brazilian Instrumental Music. His music is a confluence of Modern Jazz, Choro, Music of the Brazilian Northeast, Samba and bop. He has travelled throughout Brazil and most recently did a 4 city tour in 2023 playing his original compositions.  Billy has been awarded Composers residencies at Yaddo, VCCA and MacDowell Colony (3 times). He has performed his music and many styles of Brazilian at the Cornelia Street Café, Joes Pub, The Jazz Forum, Barbes, and Triboz/ Rio & has 5 recordings as leader.

“Being an educator is an important part of my life.  I’ve had hundreds of students in my lifetime and have formed long warm associations with so many.  Some fantastic professionals I can count amongst my former students but I’ve learned and grown from the challenges presented by every student who has persistently hung in there!  I’ve devised great learning systems for improvisation, learning rhythm and harmony, mapping the fingerboard, deciphering the right-hand techniques etc…  I love the study and sharing of the different genres of music I’ve delved into in my life.  Jazz, Brazilian Flamenco, Classical, Fingerstyle Folk, Irish and blues. Electric, Nylon String, Cavaquinho and 7 string guitar.  This is my experience.”  I’m always happy to share my growing pedagogical explorations of the Cavaquinho and Brazilian 7 string guitar (tuned low C)

Teaching Info

I have many systems of teaching for Pick and/or Fingerstyle based on a long teaching career.  Having been online teaching (via zoom and google meet) to all over the world since 2009, I have assembled an amazing archive of pdfs both with notation and much with tablature.  I research to help students when they request something I’m less familiar.  My education includes 5 years studying Flamenco besides all my Brazilian experience (Eu falo Portugues) and playing /studying/teaching American Jazz since my adolescence so I’ve assembled material in these styles to advance the student from beginning up to advanced. I have studied with Dennis Sandole ,teacher of John Coltrane and Hal Galper whos Forward Motion concepts have been very helpful.  In Brazilian music I have dug into Choro, Samba + Hermeto, Northeast styles and have done workshops in conjunction with the great Rogerio Souza besides playing many shows here and in Brazil.  Having access to all the Brazilian etudes and songs from all levels is extremely helpful to the students.  For beginners to train the hands, I do start with Blues and Travis Picking.  I often combine simple percussion and music theory with lessons.  I’m actively growing as a player. Also years of Alexander technique and studying percussion has helped me with teaching students to find a technique with which they won’t hurt themselves and have a visualization of the neck of the guitars.