Teacher Profile: Francis Rowland

About Francis Rowland

Francis is a guitar and bass instructor who has an interest in a wide variety of musical traditions, spanning from the music of Brazil to Ragtime Piano to Indian classical music. He finds joy in helping others realize their musical goals, whether thats learning finger picking patterns, improvising or even songwriting techniques he's happy to help. More so than anything Francis's goal is that his students have fun and enjoy the process of learning the language of music.

Francis grew up in the rural town of Lovell Maine where he began playing guitar at the age of five. Early musical influences included AC/DC, Johnny Cash, and The Doors. While attending Fryeburg Academy he became fascinated with the music of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk, this sparked a move towards Jazz guitar. After High School Francis moved to Seattle to further his musical endeavors, he spent time playing in the band Strawberry Mountain which gave him the opportunity to tour the country playing music.

Francis now plays in a variety of groups in the Seattle area, he preforms most weekends with his band "The Pandemonium". He's very inspired by traditional Folk, Blues, and Jazz music, taking influence from musicians like, Howlin Wolf, Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotton, and Fats Waller. A fan of improvised music and "groove" he finds joy in playing essential rhythms on simple percussion instruments, such as bells, wood blocks, and the Brazilian instruments Pandiero and Caxixi.

The idea of learning a new instrument can be very intimidating, but being the easy going individual that Francis is he creates a relaxed, stress free environment for his students to feel comfortable and unabashed about whatever their level of experience may be.