Will Shosys Academy work for me?
Read what our students say:
Florian F: “Kelvin is a very thoughtful and perceptive teacher who emphatically and carefully listens to the students to decide jointly which music to teach. He teaches a very wide range of music and also encourages his students to perform.”
Alessandro M: “What I really like about learning with Kelvin is the way that he teaches. He is very open to new ideas and wishes, and he makes always feel like playing with joy and without pressure.”
Ian M: “If there is something I really liked about learning with Kelvin, it is the easy way that you learn how to play! He is always very creative to explain what I have to work on in different ways- until you get what he means. After a few lessons, I was available to play different songs and I really enjoyed that.“
Anna H: ”Kelvin has the unique ability to teach in a very systematic way that still always feels fun and spontaneous. Improvising with him was a great experience. He brought out things I didn’t know I had in me.”
Nele S: “Kelvin lives music. There is rhythm, melody and harmonies everywhere in space. They spread and suddenly you can do things that have never been done at home alone.”
Siga B: “Kelvin is a superb teacher who teaches knowledge and technique in a fun way. Our son learned the basics very quickly using music he loves instead of dry drills. It was great to see how quickly he progressed while learning to play actual music himself.”
Will working with Kelvin Sholar work for me?
Read what our peers have to say:
Antonio Ciacca (Doctorate candidate Stony Brook University / Master Degree City College of New York / Undergraduate Bologna Conservatory in Bologna, Italy / Director Of programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center 2007 – 2011) / Juilliard School from 2009 – 2012): “Mr. Sholar is one of the handful of musicians who can function in every aspect of contemporary music. His knowledge of harmony, rhythms, music production software, music notation software is unmatched in the music scene today. His knowledge of mathematic gives a solid theoretical ground to his aesthetic ideas.
His innate intellectual curiosity makes him the perfect pedagogue. I have watched him teaching with a natural disposition to embrace new perspectives on subjects he spent most of his life on.“
Carl Craig (Dj, Producer, Artist): “We have worked with Kelvin Sholar during the preparation, orchestration and recording of Carl Craig’s Versus Synthesizer Ensemble. Assuming the role of Band Leader, Kelvin also assembled the actual 6 person ensemble; organized, rehearsed and taught each band member his part as well as playing the piano solo part during the 24-month tour, that took the Carl Craig Versus Synthesizer Ensemble to Paris, London, Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Sydney, Melbourne, Detroit and other cities around the world.
Kelvin handled all his roles impeccably, professionally and with grace and was an instrumental force behind the success of this project.
The symphonic version and thus continuation of this project featured Kelvin playing solo piano with the Chineke! orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London, NOSPR in Krakowice and the Basel National Orchestra in Basel. The touring of the Versus project had been interrupted by the outbreak of Covid19.
Kelvin is a dear family friend, whom we have known for 15+ years. Sholar is a delightful human being, that is talented and versed in a plethora of genres and our go-to partner on projects past as well as future. There is no doubt about his leadership abilities, that he assumes without hesitation and with great energy. He also is the glue that holds the team together.“
Greg Burk (Composer, Pianist, Educator): “I first met Kelvin in 1991 when we were both aspiring jazz pianists on the fertile musical scene of Detroit. Kelvin was already performing with the jazz masters of the city like Marcus Belgrave, Larry Smith, Donald Walden at that time. His exceptional musical talent, curious mind, and stylistic versatility were clearly evident at this early stage of his career.
While our paths diverged in 1993, I followed Kelvin’s artistic output over the next two decades marveling at the depth and skill that he brought to the most varied of musical contexts, working at the highest levels of mainstream jazz, Latin jazz and groundbreaking electronic jazz as a pianist, keyboardist, arranger and producer.
In 2016 I became a member of the Carl Craig Versus Synthesizer Ensemble of which Kelvin was the musical director, arranger and often the principal soloist. His poise and powerful imagination as a soloist consistently drew enthusiastic responses from both critics writing about the performances, as well as the public.
In my 25 years of University level musical instruction, first at Berklee College of Music, New York University and now in Italy in the Conservatories, I have come to appreciate what I believe are the essential qualities of a teacher that can both inform and transform his/her aspiring students. First is direct experience and the lessons learned from a life lived as a professional musician with all of the challenges one has faced and overcome. Second, and more significantly is the rare quality of a curious mind that is consistently moving beyond the comfort zone of one’s specialization towards broader technical knowledge and deeper aesthetic understanding.
Kelvin embodies these two qualities like very few musicians I have ever encountered. His impressive professional resume speaks for itself, whereas his commitment to lifelong learning, is something I can attest to having known him for over 25 years. When Kelvin speaks about music to his students, audiences or to other musicians, the depth, clarity and enthusiasm are immediately apparent. Kelvin is highly intelligent and alert yet easy-going which makes working with him a pleasure.“
