Personal Statement

My name is Jesse Shafer - I am a 24-year-old full-time musician and teacher living in Los Angeles. I am an M.M. candidate and Guitar Faculty TA at Musician's Institute. I also hold a B.A. in Jazz Guitar Performance from the College of Charleston, and went to a vocational school for instrument building after high school. I have given hundreds of live performances, been a part of 4-5 dozen recording projects and have surpassed 10,000 hours of music practice. I grew up in Nashville, TN and was handed a guitar at 7 years old. My family's excursions growing up were to concerts and music festivals. I knew at a young age this is what I wanted to do - I began playing in bands in high school and haven't had a job outside of music since age 17. Teaching Assistant at Musicians Institute 2023 - Present An atypical teaching assistant position at a top music college. Tasks include substitute teaching, sight-reading and critiquing student charts, leading group workshops and more. Hired after 2 months of being a student at the school in an unprecedented move. (Master’s, 3.98) Private Teacher 2017 - Present Many previous students across various musical disciplines. Well-regarded music educational video content with hundreds of thousands of views across multiple social media platforms. Awards The Rooibos Quartet - #41 iTunes Jazz Chart UK / 3rd place in Anatolia College (Greece) Summer Composition Festival / 3x nominee for Charleston City Paper Music Awards / 2nd Place in String Division - King’s Peak International Composition Competition Recording Artist, Composer 2017 - Present 8 albums and 4 EPs as bandleader or primary member of the group. Work as a composer and producer includes: Short Films, Big Band Commission, String trio, Piano Trio, Piano/Violin/Cello/Flute, Jazz ensembles up to 8 members, rock bands, ambient/electronic music, folk music, cinematic cues. 60+ published works with ASCAP under self-run Glass Sandbox Records and Publishing (Music Copyright and publishing of over 50 compositions - can be found on JesseShafer.com). Experience in Booking/Organizing events, managing large ensembles, and promotion. Knowledge of Social Media Marketing and the ins and outs of releasing music in the 2020’s. Multiple accounts of radio airplay including Ohm Radio and South Carolina Public Radio and CDs distributed to record stores internationally. Experience booking live shows, distributing music, managing groups, and marketing. Sideman/Accompanist 2017 - Present 400+ performances as a sideman playing guitar and pedal steel. Session musician of dozens of albums/EPs, countless student recording sessions at Musicians Institute. Performances across the USA, primarily in the Southeastern Region and Southern California. Notable performances include opening for Social Distortion at HOB Anaheim, Whisky-a-Go-Go, The Roxy, GARP Festival, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, NCHAS Arts Festival, Edisto Blackwater Boogie Festival, Charleston Music Hall, Charleston Pour House.

Jesse S. Subjects

Guitar