Meet Jaxon Williams | Guitarist and Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaxon Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaxon, why did you pursue a creative career?
Growing up, I remember the adults always talking about the “best” careers as being a doctor, lawyer, or something similar. I played a lot of music and it was always a central part of my life, but the standard narrative of what a respectable career was always held me back from fully committing and diving in head first. Thankfully, I also had important influences in my life who helped me believe I can make a living pursuing music, even with all its uncertainty. I think this is crucial for anyone who is thinking about a career in a creative or artistic field. I spent some time with one foot in a career in music and one foot entertaining possibilities of traditional career paths, but I remember a specific moment where I knew I wanted to do music as my career, no matter the cost: I had just finished a long and hard day of classes during my sophomore year as an undergraduate studying guitar performance. I was tired, but I knew I needed to practice guitar. I thought I’d take a quick nap and listen to some classical guitar music to relax me before waking up and starting my practice session. I put on an album of David Russell playing the music of the composer Agustin Barrios and drifted off to sleep. I woke up a bit later with the beautiful sounds of “La Catedral” (one of Barrios’ most famous compositions) in my ear and I had one of those seminal “revelatory” moments where I was so moved by the music that I felt like nothing else mattered in life. In that moment I decided I wanted to learn, play, and create music like this for the rest of my life at the highest level possible, and that no amount of fear or uncertainty would stop me. I made the decision that day to take the risk to go all out for a career in music and I have never considered looking back since. To date, a career in music has brought me everything I hold dear in life and continues to take me on unexpected and exciting journeys! As a mentor of mine once said to me: “A career in music will open doors you didn’t even know existed”.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Classical Guitarist who moonlights as a guitarist of many styles. I also enjoy playing Flamenco guitar and acoustic fingerstyle guitar as well. I have a passion for teaching, and have been active in the online teaching community as well.

Getting to where I am at professionally has been a lot of work… enjoyable, but hard work. I think a crucial move for me has been to have many irons in the fire. I wanted to take my knowledge and skills to the highest level, so I went all the way to getting a Doctorate in music/guitar from one of the nation’s most demanding programs: USC’s Thornton School of Music. While studying there, I started my performance career building a press kit for two different duos and a solo performance career. That’s been on hold during Covid, but normally keeps me busy with many concerts nationally and even internationally each year. I also spent time living and studying in Spain on and off since 2015, and have made a point to absorb the style of Flamenco guitar in addition to classical. My Flamenco journey is a passion of mine, and I’ve already been lucky enough to perform in Spain and the USA in solo and group settings. While pursuing these things as a performer, I started teaching seriously in 2012, and have been building a private studio of students of various styles, and I still maintain a studio of 25+ students. Because I have no more room for private students, I have begun creating free online courses (guitarwithjaxon.teachable.com) and youtube instruction so more people can have access to the way I teach guitar, which is unique. I have also cofounded an online learning platform (guitarlab.us) for motivated young classical guitarists to supplement their learning that has helped young guitarists with auditions into music schools, prepare for international competitions, and even hosted an international competition of our own! And finally, since 2016 I have also worked with the non-profit “Lead Guitar” (www.leadguitar.org) to create a program in Los Angeles that puts guitar programs in underfunded schools that have low access to music.That may seem like a lot of different activity, but I think it’s normal and necessary for a musician today, and I love the variety and excitement it brings to my life!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite bars: Perch in DTLA, Red Lion Tavern in Silverlake, Block Party in Highland Park

Favorite Hangs: Hiking around Gabrielino trails by JPL, Beach time, KBBQ in Koreatown

Venues: Disney Hall is a must, Zebulon has great shows, Hotel Cafe has fun shows, and so many more!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My first teacher, Joe Thompson, is an important mentor and grounding force in my music journey. In 21st century life as a musician, there are a LOT of roads you can go down career-wise, and it’s important to ask yourself what drives you and what you want to do as part of that equation. I have really benefitted greatly from his input in balancing things like ambition and drive with passion and enjoyment, and weighing that against the necessity of making a living/paying the bills. It’s a constant balancing act, but important to find the balance that works well for you and his input helps me with perspective in this important aspect of work and life.

Website: https://www.jaxonwilliamsmusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxonwilliamsguitar/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHhyb7fv_Aeq7P8yXbIC7Kg

Other: My online courses: https://guitarwithjaxon.teachable.com/ My Duo: https://www.jacamusic.com/ Guitarlab: https://www.guitarlab.us/ Sounding board Project: https://www.soundingboardfest.com/

Image Credits
Dalia Moya