about
I'm François Wiss,
A guitarist, performer, and teacher based in Park Slope. I picked up the guitar as a child more than 40 years ago, and it has taken me much further than I could have imagined.
I’ve learned music through study, but also by traveling, playing with other musicians, and listening closely to the traditions they grew up with. From the south of France and Spain to the Caribbean, Latin America, North Africa, the Balkans, and New York City, those encounters have shaped the way I play and teach.
I began teaching in 1997. I spent seven years teaching in French primary and middle schools and have taught more than 2,500 students to date. In New York, I’ve given private lessons and led workshops at places including Barnard College and the Alliance Française. I teach young children, teenagers, and adults, whether they’re picking up a guitar for the first time or returning to it after years away.
I also perform regularly in New York,
At venues including the Blue Note, City Winery, Groove, and Café Wha?, as well as local places such as Bar Tabac in Cobble Hill. My work as a performer brings a wide range of music into my lessons, from world and Latin music to rock, jazz, and French chanson.
In a lesson, we build technique and rhythm while making music from the start. We might learn a song, explore how a chord or rhythm works, or find a more comfortable way to play a passage. I keep lessons fun and engaging, with the right amount of challenge for each student. The aim is to help you play with confidence and express something of your own.
Park Slope has been home to my family for many years, and I’m the dad of a fifth grader at PS 321. I teach here in the neighborhood, at students’ homes, and online, in English, French, or Spanish.