Teacher Profile: Carsten Wallace-Bailey
About Carsten Wallace-Bailey
Ever since attending a Walla Walla Children’s Symphony Concert of “Peter and the Wolf” as a bright-eyed 4 year old, and being given the privilege to pluck the open strings of a cello at the after concert instrument sampler, Carsten Wallace-Bailey has been obsessed with all things music. Specializing in teaching the guitar, piano, and voice, Carsten’s musical journey has shown him a world of magic, emotion, connection, and beauty that he strives to share with all of his students! Born into a family of classically trained multi-instrumentalists, Carsten’s instrumental journey started with private cello and piano lessons, as well as singing in a neighborhood boys choir organized by his mom. With his early musical education shaped by symphonies, hymns, and showtunes, Carsten has been involved with music lessons and ensembles for as long as he can remember. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, he was a part of multiple different orchestras, choirs, and even handbell ensembles. Recently, Carsten graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Film and Media Studies from Whitman College and earned more music credits than his transcript would allow him to count.
In a formative event in his musical journey, Carsten received an electric guitar for his birthday, after convincing his parents that he was serious about the instrument by playing the untouched family classical guitar non-stop after school. This became love at-first-strum, as he hasn’t put the guitar down since. Developing a love for all things guitar, Carsten went on to study the guitar under Philip Lynch and Michael Leferve at Whitman College. Ranging from classical etudes and jazz standards to Steve Vai shred licks, Carsten loves to explore where the instrument may take him next.
His favorite thing to play on the guitar, however, are the songs written by his band, Wind-Up Birds. Following a jam session after a chance meeting of band members in his college dorm, Carsten has served as the lead guitarist and occasional vocalist and songwriter for the psych-rock-jazz-folk outfit based in Seattle. Having toured up and down the west coast, and actively gigging in the Seattle area, being a part of a band has not only challenged Carsten’s technical abilities, but the way he thinks about part-writing, improvisation, and collaboration as a musician. He loves the opportunity to grow as a guitarist, and find new inspiration any chance he gets!
In addition to the guitar, Carsten continued to study other forms of music throughout college, including taking vocal lessons from Dr. Jessica Posada, piano lessons from G. Louis Hemenway, singing in multiple choirs, leading and composing for an a capella group, and serving as a collaborative instrumentalist for musicals and vocal performances. Carsten uses these experiences, plus well-rounded knowledge in music theory and human behavior, to create dynamic music lessons that teach tangible skills, foster curiosity, and feel rewarding to his students. Carsten is particularly a fan of the education philosophy of John Dewey, learning through experimentation. Whether that means working to figure out what each part of your instrument does, how to use it, stepping out of your comfort zone, or trying new things, he believes that experimenting with music can lead you to exploring sounds you didn’t think you were capable of! Outside of lessons, Carsten loves finding new sounds to play with, exploring nature, watching all kinds of movies (with a particular interest in their soundtracks!) and slowly but surely improving his cooking skills. He hopes that through music lessons, he can share his love for music with you, and assist you on your music journey no matter where you are! As one of his formative music teachers used to tell him: “As long as you love music, it will love you back no matter what!”