Meet the 2026 Teachers
Marty Schwartz
Marty Schwartz, or as he’s better known on the Internet, Marty Music has been the face of guitar education on the Internet for the last decade and a half.
With over 4 million YouTube subscribers, over two billion video views, and a career longer than most rock bands, Marty has arguably taught more people how to play guitar than anyone else in the world.
If the guitar is the “people’s instrument” then Marty is the “people’s instructor.” Marty has been a school music teacher, a private guitar instructor, and has cut his teeth touring in some serious rock bands. As a result, his approach to teaching guitar is far from formal.
His love for the guitar is undeniable and he infuses every pupil with that same fire.
Beginning his career early in YouTube’s history, Marty’s impact has grown as the platform has grown. As the role of the guitar has shifted in music throughout the years, Marty has remained a core voice of the culture. It’s clear that Marty has found his true calling as a guitar educator and he’ll undoubtedly continue to cultivate new and surprising guitar talents.
Jared James Nichols
Jared James Nichols was a small town Wisconsin kid, hopping a fence with his caseless guitar to play alone for hours on the final stage Stevie Ray Vaughn ever graced.
Now he’s a decade into a career that’s taken him millions of miles around the planet and made him a peer and jamming buddy of guitar gods like Zakk Wylde, Slash and Joe Perry.
Nichols’ new record Louder than Fate (Frontiers Music SRL), due in early June, shows a more song-driven approach, with upfront vocals and harmonies injected into catchy choruses. Of course, Nichols made his name playing roots-based guitar rock, so he doesn’t abandon big riffs and shredding leads.
Perhaps not coincidentally, since several songs were recorded at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in Los Angeles, Nichols went for more of a classic guitar rock feel, intertwined with jagged, evergreen choruses. It’s not unlike early Foos or one of Nichols’ heroes.. Guitarist Leslie West snarling about a “Mississippi Queen,” which still appears on rock radio 55 years later.
Foos’ keyboardist Rami Jaffee fits right in, with a guest spot on the record, on which Nichols’ drummer, Ryan Rice plays Dave Grohl’s slice-through-the-mix drum set. If the Foo Fighters aren’t enough of a connection to Nichols’ classic hard-but-catchy singalong rock, he played through amps belonging to Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, tapping into the vibe of the kings of 1970s Beatlesque power pop.
Nichols says it’s about honoring the songs.
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“That was a really conscious decision,” Nichols says. “It's being able to say ‘OK, cool. We have the riffs; we’re not going to smash people over the head and have them go ‘Enough is enough,’ as I feel I’ve done a little of in the past. We were careful with the structure of ‘How do we make these songs so the people can sing along but I can fulfill my crazy rock and roll guitar urges?’”
“We were so hyped up about being there,” Nichols says, of Studio 606. “What we heard in there is the way you hear it on the record, which is amazing.” Nichols was always laser-focused on becoming a guitar hero. From losing his scholarship from prestigious Berklee College of Music as a teenager for not conforming, to arriving in Hollywood in 2011 with no band and almost immediately winning a guitar competition at which his future manager was a judge (and told him to go find a band).
He spent much of the next decade as a regular in guitar magazines and playing with legends like Buddy Guy, Joe Bonnamassa, Billy Gibbons, and George Thorogood. Nichols is now mentioned alongside the greats, with a loyal worldwide fanbase big enough to carry a long career for which most musicians would sell their soul at the nearest crossroads.
But that's not enough. Nichols wants to evolve.
While the Nashville resident has made his power trio’s reputation with hair-raising live performances, Nichols is also a gritty and expressive vocalist, with a voice he shaped into a weapon as powerful as his six-string skills.
It’s only part of a dynamic package that’s steadily grown since his first release, 2015’s Old Glory & The Wild Revival. Nichols’ musical evolution is most evident in the songwriting. He admits his early recordings featured songs in which big riffs and bigger, showy leads were the emphasis.
“What’s cool with this record is this is the first time I ever took my time as a songwriter and we did not rush any aspect of it, working with people who have their eye on the prize of the song ,” Nichols says. “It’s a totally different vibe.”
“Every record has another shade, it’s been like cutting a little deeper into the fruit - It’s like I know there’s more down there and I’m just trying to reach for it.”
Robert Randolph
Robert Randolph is a rock-blues pedal steel guitar virtuoso whose music blurs the lines between gospel, rock, blues, and soul. Raised in the House of God Church in New Jersey, he first made his mark channeling the ecstatic energy of worship through his instrument—known in his tradition as “Sacred Steel.” Now, with his new album Preacher Kids on Sun Records, Randolph steps into a bold new chapter. Produced by Shooter Jennings, the album features fellow musicians who, like Randolph, are preachers' kids bridging the church and the secular stage. Recorded in LA and Nashville, the project began as jam sessions that evolved into fully formed songs—retaining the spirit and spontaneity of their origins. Known for his GRAMMY-nominated work with The Family Band and collaborations with legends like Eric Clapton, Santana, Norah Jones, and Beyoncé (on the GRAMMY-winning Cowboy Carter), Randolph has also earned 13 Emmys for his work in sports broadcasting and created the theme for Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football. With Preacher Kids, he returns to his roots while pushing the boundaries of where gospel-inspired music can go next.
Chris Sherland
If you want to learn the latest guitar cheat codes, cheap tricks, or fretboard hacks, then you might not want to go anywhere near Chris Sherland's "Curious Guitarist" YouTube channel.
Chris enthusiastically goes deep but keeps it accessable. His YouTube lessons bring the "ah ha" moments front and center with a refreshing, satisfying pedagogy that contrasts with the fast-paced catalog of shallow online guitar lessons. With over four decades of teaching experience and the Gladwellian 10,000 hours spent playing stages big and small across the country, Chris draws on a long career of playing, writing, and teaching music. He can quickly and organically give students a clear, uncluttered view of what they really need rather than just pushing diagrams and TABs at the problem. He's often cited as being deftly capable of teaching guitarists "how to fish" rather than churning out the blues lick of the week.
Chris started playing at 14 and was gigging in nightclubs by 19. He attended the famous Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, the education choice of artists like Linda Ronstadt, Michael Jackson, and Steve Lukather. Living in Santa Fe, NM, he toured the Southwest with multiple bands and opened for acts such as Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Phish, and Jimmy Cliff. It was in Santa Fe that he met and tutored Marty Schwartz, opening a pathway for Marty to become the OG YouTube guitar teacher and one of the most recognized online guitar instructors in the world.
Chris's focus on guitar education features a hands-on approach, flexible and insightful context, and an infectious enthusiasm for the beautiful mystery of making music.
Jake Baynes
Jake Baynes is a Nashville-based guitarist and educator known for his versatile musicianship and "Soulful" blues-rock style. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Baynes has established himself as a contributing figure in the Nashville music scene as a founding member of the Moga Family Band and a core guitar player for Pitch Meeting Nashville. His dynamic playing has led to sharing the stage with world-class artists including Victor Wooten, Eric Gales, Robben Ford, and Caroline Jones among others. As a dedicated educator with over 4,500 hours of teaching experience, Baynes has mentored rising stars like Grace Bowers and has been featured teaching alongside YouTube legend Marty Schwartz, sharing his expertise in blues-rock improvisation and technique with a global audience.
Molly Miller
Everything in Molly Miller’s career has come organically.The Los Angeles guitarist and songwriter has followed the path in front of her with a sense of curiosity and openness, proving that if you’re meant to do something, you’ll do it.
From creating the Molly Miller Trio with Jennifer Condos and Jay Bellerose in 2016 to playing and touring with artists like Jason Mraz to teaching guitar at the University of Southern California, Molly brings a passion for music and a sophisticated, raw style to everything she does.
“The best things in life happen naturally, which has been true for me,” Molly says. “I’ve been able to have a diversified career that has served me very well and I think it all informs each other. Not only does it keep me busy, it keeps me challenged. I’m fortunate that everything I do brings me joy and the goal is to grow from it as well.”
Molly’s latest endeavor is The Ballad of Hotspur, Molly Miller Trio’s third album and follow-up to 2021’s St. George. The album, a collection of instrumental Americana jazz songs tinged with folk and Surf Rock vibes, harkens back to 2020 when musicians were forced off the road by the pandemic. Molly realized she could take advantage of the moment to write new music, so she and Jennifer began sending ideas back and forth. Eventually, the trio found themselves in the same room again.
“These songs came to life when the three of us played them together,” Molly says. “There’s something that's really specific about the three of us. There’s a shared vision of what the music should be. We come from an eclectic mix of backgrounds, but it all melds together.”
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The band went into LA’s Valentine Studios to record the album in April of 2022 after two years of writing and laid down the tracks in only two days. The trio self-produced the LP with the help of sound engineer Jason Wormer (T Bone Burnett). The aim was to capture the dynamic energy of the group’s live show in the studio, almost like snapping a photograph of a particular moment in time. “There’s no such thing as perfect, but the more real and alive a recording is the better it feels,” Molly notes. “To me, music is simply capturing an instance in the room.”
The Ballad of Hotspur draws its name from a character in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1, unfurling as a saga. Although the songs vary in style and tone, the overall piece draws the listener on an epic journey as the musicians embrace bold, playful instrumentation alongside moments of quiet reflection. From bluesy opener and first single “Cine” to jazz-tinged “Blues to Greens” to Western-inspired “66 West,” The Ballad of Hotspur showcases evocative glimpses into Molly’s experiences and thoughts over the past few years.
“Although they are instrumental, when I’m writing a song I almost always have lyrics moving through them in my head,” Molly says. “It might be a mantra or a message. So while people aren’t hearing literal song lyrics, there’s always an emotional space I’m writing and playing from that I think you can hear.”
The album is yet another facet of Molly’s impressive career. She’s been playing music since age seven, originally performing in a family band with her four siblings and drawing inspiration from artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. In high school, she got into jazz, an obsession that continued into her years studying at USC, where she eventually earned her BM, MM and Doctorate in Musical Arts. A few weeks after graduating in 2016, Jason Mraz asked Molly to play with him. The same year, she became the Chair of the Guitar Department at the Los Angeles College of Music. Since then, Molly has balanced performance and teaching, becoming a professor of Studio Guitar at USC in 2022. Along with Mraz, she’s played with artists like Black Eyed Peas, Scary Pockets, Sin Bandera, and Pomplemoose at the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall and Coachella, and Molly Miller Trio has toured as an opening act for Mraz and performed at Monterey Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s at Lincoln Center, and SF Jazz.
Guitar is everything to Molly, whether she’s writing songs, playing live or sharing her talent with her students. It’s her voice. It’s a place of stillness. It’s a way of tapping into deeper thoughts and emotions. And, most importantly, it’s how she can be of use in the world.
“I found something that can connect with people and allow them to feel something,” she says. “I can connect with them by teaching or by playing. It makes me a better person, it calms me down and allows me to express myself. It’s amazing to me that my job can also be a source of such deep joy.”
Moga Family Band
The Moga Family Band is a powerhouse collective blending soulful vocals, jam-band-worthy musicianship, and pop-friendly hooks.
They are the new wave and trailblazers of contemporary blues music. Featuring the dynamic talents of Sister Emme Cannon (vocals), Uncle Eric Fortaleza (bass), Brother Jake Baynes (guitar), Cousin Cav Mims (keys), Papa Dekar Justus (drums), and Baby Owen Fader (vocals and sax), this family-inspired lineup aims to deliver the wildest sensory-overloaded live performance experience.
Everyone is welcome to the family! Come join the table and be part of what promises to be the biggest musical feast in history. It takes a village to change the world.
We just gave it a name: The Moga Family Band.