ABOUT JOHN CONNOLLY

Early Years

As early as his parents can remember, John was inspired by music. His dad liked to tell the story of fun times firing up the turntable during which he would ask John, "Blue Beatles or brown Beatles?" referencing the cover colors of the Beatles albums that they owned. "Brown Beatles!" John would say, anticipating the excitement of hearing "Roll Over Beethoven" pulse through the speakers.

John's formal introduction to music happened when he started 4th grade and began taking violin lessons through his school's music program. Because of his innate understanding of music, John demonstrated immediate proficiency with the violin and was placed with the 2nd year class after just one week. Although he credits those early lessons with helping him to develop his musical ear and how to play with a group, John did not develop a passion for violin.

It wasn't until he was 12 years old and his dad drove him to a local music store to purchase his first guitar, a used Epiphone steel string acoustic, that John discovered his calling.

 "I would spend hours each day trying to decipher riffs and solos by Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy and many other bands."

John purchased his first electric guitar, a stratocaster knock-off, at a neighbor's yard sale. "I didn't have all $15 of the asking price," John recalls, "but my neighbor agreed to sell the guitar for $8." After a return trip with his dad to the music store, this time to purchase an amplifier, John had the gear necessary to emulate the guitar heroes that inspired him, legends including Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen.

Performance

John's first band came together while the members were in high school. At that point, John had been taking guitar ensemble classes, pursuing his own musical interests outside of the school setting, and was jamming with a long time friend who sang and played bass. During that time, John would accompany his father on trips to Maryland where John's father played in a jazz big band. On one such trip, John met the son of the band leader, another musically inclined high school student who played drums. When John and the drummer started jamming together, they had the beginnings of what would become their high school band, Vendetta.

Vendetta came onto the high school scene with a roar, earning first place in their first Battle of the Bands. They would go on to win second place at the Ram Jam (Robinson High School's band competition). And during John's senior year of high school, Vendetta returned to the Ram Jam to claim first place while the 2000 people in attendance cheered them on.

During his college years, John played with two bands. The first, Shotgun, entered four Northern Virginia–based Battle of the Bands competitions in two years and won all of them. After Shotgun, John and some friends (Tamer Eid of Emmet Swimming and Jason Miller of Godhead) formed Wise Guys, a band which also claimed first place in a Battle of the Bands and also performed at local venues.

In addition to the recognition he received as a member of the bands, John garnered individual accolades as well, including the Best Soloist of All Instruments award at the New England Jazz Festival and a 2nd place award for Best Soloist in the Rockin' DC Great Guitarist competition. To see John's award winning performance,  click below:
 

Education

John knew long before he applied to college that he wanted to major in music. He graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in Music with an emphasis on classical guitar. Part way through college John developed repetitive stress syndrome, a condition which challenged him to change his focus from musical performance to musical composition and education. It would be years from the time that John developed repetitive stress syndrome and worked through the pain to the time he discovered how to overcome the symptoms. Despite the obstacles, John ultimately was able to work his way back to the sustained and rigorous practice schedule required of performing guitarists.
 

Community Involvement

John continues to participate in local guitar functions, from teaching workshops covering a wide range of guitar technique to serving on the panel of judges at Battle of the Bands competition.  Recently, John participated in a unique collaborative performance funded by the Wolf Trap Foundation in which John was a featured electric guitar soloist backed by an 80-piece orchestra.   Chris Johnson, the conductor for the Annandale Symphony reached out to John with the opportunity. Chris received a Wolf Trap Foundation Scholarship to develop a project with his music and computer technology students at Fairfax Academy. The students composed "Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra," which included an overture and seven movements, each written by one of Chris's students. John was able to provide feedback to the students, both as the electric guitar soloist and as a musician who uses computer technology in his own compositions.

"Working with such talented students and being able to play with the NVCC Annandale Symphony Orchestra was an amazing experience."

To see the final movement of this performance, the culmination of months of writing, collaborating, revising, and practicing, click below:

Today

John's experiences have led him on a musical journey he couldn't have anticipated when he first started playing guitar at 12 years old. Those experiences have ultimately shaped him into the well-rounded guitar player and educator he is today. Music instruction has been a consistent part of John's journey. Even in high school, John was able to break down difficult techniques and complicated guitar parts in ways that made them easier for other musicians to understand. At this point in his career, John dedicates the majority of his professional time to private guitar instruction and personal music composition projects. 

"Teaching has meant a lot to me over the years. I've met many wonderful people in the process - one of whom introduced me to my wife! Helping students to achieve their musical goals and making friends along the way has been very rewarding."

From his early work as a performer with local bands and as a dedicated student earning a B.A. in Music from GMU, to his current work as an instructor, composer, and consultant for acclaimed bands such as Darkest Hour, John's experiences enable him to consider each musical undertaking from multiple perspectives. With those perspectives, John has been able to help students achieve their musical goals regardless of where in the process they are, from beginner to professional. He has helped students build a strong foundation as they start out learning the guitar, learn to play their favorite songs, better their soloing technique and improvisation skills, develop a repertoire of classical guitar and fingerstyle pieces, master skills introduced during school music classes, prepare auditions for college music programs, develop fresh soloing ideas for their bands. The list is endless, and the possibilities as unique as the students themselves.