don balistreri | Guitarist

Don holds an M.A. in Improvised Music Studies/Jazz Guitar and a B.A. in Classical Guitar Performance, both from San Jose State  University coupled with over 30 years experience teaching guitar (online and in person), electric bass, ukulele, mandolin, banjo and beginning piano. He has worked with students of all ages and abilities and has also been a Professor of Music at West alley College in Saratoga, CA.

After a break from teaching 80+ students per week, he has re-entered the arena with his own personal studio in Alameda.

He is certain to spend time and care getting to understand each of his students' personalities, musical tastes and neuro-types in order to customize lesson plans to each individual (no one learns in the same way). 

A former instructor at Starland Music in Alameda, he specializes in "fixing" your guitar playing, should you have  any apprehension about your playing effort; he also cherishes his youngest pupils and inspiring new generations of upcoming guitarists ages 8 and up!

With an emphasis on fun and practicality, Don's lessons are designed to get students excited about music while instilling a technical foundation and functional music theory ,paving the way for your musical future!

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Rainbow was born in Ontario Canada, her parents were US citizens living abroad.  She and her mom moved to Seattle when she was 5 to be close to family, where she lived until she was 14.  In 1985 she moved to Alameda CA with her mom & new step-dad, she didn't know a soul and decided to change her name to Tj.  Skip ahead to today you will find Tj calls the Bay Area (and especially Alameda) her home where she raised two beautiful daughters and now has a son (technically Son-In-Law).

On the professional side, Tj has been a Bookkeeper, Office Manager and Executive Assistant for more than 20 years, this is what she brings with her to don balistreri | Guitarist.  Her and Don met in 2016 at a winery on Alameda's old Naval Air Station.  In 2018 they moved to Tucson and purchased a home but missed their families & the Bay too much and came back 2 years later. Trying to decide what they wanted to do when they "grew up," Don & Tj looked at each other and said: "Why don't we just do what we LOVE, let's open a Guitar Studio!"

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Nigel was born December 2nd 2022 and came to us via Rocket Dog Rescue in Oakland.  He was found as a stray wandering the mean streets of Fresno, no one came looking for him so Rocket Dog snapped him up before he was scheduled for euthanasia. Months before, Tj had become an approved foster parent for RDR, saw Nigel and had to go meet him immediately! We brought him home to foster, not sure if we would be adopting him... but he won us over and we couldn't let him go. Nigel spends his days chasing his tail, eating treats and giving lots of snuggles, he hopes to see you at the studio!