Faculty

Penfield Guitar School is directed by Rochester-based guitarist Django Klumpp. Django (M.M., B.M.) has been playing and performing on the guitar for nearly 20 years. Born into a musical family, he was encouraged from an early age to explore his creative and musical boundaries, and set his sights on spreading the joy of music early on. As an adult, Django pursued classical guitar at the collegiate level, earning a master’s degree and performer’s certificate in classical guitar performance from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Mansfield University.

Django is a dedicated music instructor and educator, teaching both lessons and group guitar classes as faculty at Nazareth University’s School of Music. As director and primary instructor at Penfield Guitar School, he teaches lessons and classes to all ages, levels, and styles in the Penfield community. During his over 10 years of teaching, Django has also taught throughout his academic career, having taught general music lessons at Aria’s School of Music and Art in Greece, NY, secondary lessons at the University of Rochester, being a volunteer instructor at Mansfield University’s “Strings Project,” a community strings group in Mansfield, PA, and much more.

Along with being trained in classical music, Django has a deep interest in a large variety of playing styles and musical genres, including folk and electric guitar styles, and genres such as jazz, rock, funk, metal, and more. In his creative endeavors, Django seeks to explore and collaborate among all musical avenues, while using his classical expertise training as a consistent beacon toward musical excellence.

Photos: Christopher McKeown Photography

From students:

“Django is a remarkably patient and effective teacher!  He has the unique ability to communicate complex concepts in an understandable manner; this truly is one hallmark of a talented instructor.  His ability to teach is matched only by his professional musical accomplishments.  One reason Django teaches so well is because he has proven ability and talent with fretted instruments, and a deep and thorough understanding of complex musical concepts, instrument construction and history.” -DP Dunn

“My eight year-old daughter has had the best experience at PGS. Django is a patient, kind, and caring teacher (he also has a wonderful sense of humor). There is an expectation of learning, however, there is no pressure to perform or to be perfect, and this works well for my daughter’s learning style. I highly recommend PGS as a place to learn and explore the peace and beauty the guitar brings to the world.” – Danielle

From Django:

“As a kid picking up the guitar for the first time, I had a great desire to imitate the music I grew up loving. To me, this form of expression was cathartic, gratifying, and most of all, fun. I found great joy in being able to recreate music in all forms. From strumming and humming along to The Beatles, to performing grand classical works, these two ways of expressing music are equally valuable in my eyes. In this way, I am grateful for the combination of my early classical training and interest in modern music for shaping the musician and teacher I am today. 

In teaching, my goal is to realize each student’s potential as it connects to their own personal goals and interests.  One of my main priorities is creating both a productive and comfortable learning environment, and I value creating personal connections with each student to achieve this. As a lover of all musical styles and genres from classical to modern, rock to pop, old to new, I value the endeavors of each of my students the same, and I am committed to both discipline and patience in each lesson.”