Pete Sklaroff

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Pete Sklaroff is an electric guitarist/music educator living and working in the North of England, although originally from Edinburgh, Scotland.He is Head of Jazz at Leeds College of Music in the UK and was previously the Assistant Head of Music. His past positions at LCM include; Course Leader - BA (Hons) Jazz Degree, LCM Admissions Manager and Senior/Principal Lecturer in Jazz Studies etc.He currently lectures in Jazz Improvisation, Jazz language and Vocabulary, Harmonic Techniques (Jazz), Jazz Performance Studies and Improvisation Strategies (Jazz). Peter was for several years the co-ordinator of the Guitar/Bass department at the College and has taught jazz guitar within the Higher Education Department at Leeds College of Music since 1992.He graduated from Edinburgh College of Art (Heriot Watt University) with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and Humanities (1984) before pursuing his musical studies at the City of Leeds College of Music in 1985. Peter graduated with a Diploma in Jazz, Light & Contemporary Music and received a First Class award for Jazz Guitar Performance (1988). During his first years in Leeds, he worked with many different jazz ensembles and also undertook a large variety of freelance session work. Peter initially studied jazz guitar in Edinburgh with guitarists Neil Munro and Ian Aitken, before continuing his studies with noted jazz guitarists Adrian Ingram and Andy Watson in Leeds. His current studies include lessons in jazz improvisation and advanced harmonic theory with world-renowned jazz pedagogue Charlie Banacos in the USA (Mr Banacos's students have performed or recorded with Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, David Liebman, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Henderson).Current work and achievements:Peter (now Head of Jazz) has in recent years been responsible for leading the BA Jazz Studies degree course at LCM and has also coordinated all Admissions work at the College. He has been deeply involved in jazz education for over 19 years alongside his regular performing and recording work. He continues to lecture in Jazz and Contemporary Guitar Studies, Harmonic Techniques, Jazz Improvisation and Performance Studies and has done so since the early 1990s, at both LCM and Sheffield University.Peter was originally self-taught on the guitar and has played since his early teens. In the mid 1980s he joined the well-known Scottish blues band BluesNTrouble, with whom he toured and recorded several albums. In 1988, Peter worked as a session player for the London-based management group Mismanagement and amongst others, he recorded with Leeds based rock group The Big Picture, with whom he toured extensively performing at prestigious venues such as Wembley Arena and the Hammersmith Odeon.He has performed extensively in the UK and abroad and has supported a wide variety of rock/ soul/ jazz artists such as Tears for Fears, B.B.King, Oleta Adams, Labi Siffre, The Pretty Things, River City People, Roger Chapman and Jack Bruce to name but a few.Peter's playing has drawn specific praise from a rich and diverse array of well-known musicians including; David Coverdale (Whitesnake, Deep Purple), Oz Noy (NY Jazz Guitarist), Charlie Banacos (noted US jazz educator), Lyle Workman (US sessions, Sting), Phil Robson (UK Jazz Guitarist), Mike Walker (UK Jazz Guitarist), Elliot Randall (Steely Dan) to name but a few...Peter has also organised performance workshops/ concerts featuring many well-known artists such as Mike Stern, Carl Verheyen, Howard Roberts, Arlen Roth, Joe Pass, John Scofield, Lincoln Goines and Dominic Miller, performed at numerous music festivals and as a member of many jazz and jazz-rock ensembles. Peter has also found the time to record professionally for radio, TV and independent media productions.Peter operates a highly successful music education website which focuses on jazz theory and improvisation. Through this site, he currently teaches (via correspondence) students from the US, Japan, Iceland, Finland, Hungary, South Africa and Canada. Many of his former students have subsequently enrolled at Leeds College of Music to further their studies and a number of Peter's former students are now on the Colleges jazz faculty. Peter teaches via correspondence lessons - so if you are interested, then please send him a message and he'll get in touch with you.His website, which features a lot more music and many pages of musical instruction is to be found at: http://www.petesklaroff.com/I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4