Welcome !

I am a professional musician from the Washington D.C.,
Northern Virginia area. The electric and acoustic guitars have always been my main instruments, but I also play electric bass and banjo. I perform in a variety of settings but my main loves are jazz, classical, bluegrass, and blues.

Since graduating from Berklee College of music in Boston with a degree in performance, I have played in the Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. areas. Locally, I have played at the Smithsonian, Carlyle House, Lee's Boyhood Home and many other venues. I am a member of the Washington D.C. Musicians Union and work as a solo player, in a duo of guitar and woodwinds, and in a jazz ensemble.


As a teacher, I have taught more than 50,000 private lessons to students of all ages. I teach beginning, intermediate, advanced, and also professional levels in most guitar styles. This includes rock,blues,jazz, country, fingerstyle, and classical. For banjo, I teach Scruggs and melodic styles.Most of my lessons are taught in my home studio, but I also teach at the Music and Arts Center in Burke, Virginia.

As a volunteer, I lead a folk group at Pohick Episcopal Church in Lorton, Virginia. We play a mixture gospel and folk music and perform the 3rd Sunday of most months.

As a musician, I am interested in many styles, but overall I will play anything that moves me and sounds good. Whether performing or teaching, I always look forward to making a connection with what I hear.I also try to keep in mind that music is a gift from God that helps us spiritually, emotionally, and to plain have fun.


John Sessums