Guitar
Education
Francisco completed his B.M. in Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music and M.M. in Jazz Studies from Northern Illinois University.
Additionally Francisco completed an exchange semester at Jazz and Rock Schule in Freiburg, Germany.
Performance and Teaching Experience
Francisco has performed with Peter Bernstein, Tedd Baker, Paul Carr, Herman Burney Jr., Andres Briceno, Ari Brown, Carl Allen, Herb Scott, Geof Bradfield, Reggie Thomas, Pablo Gil, John Baboian, Richie Hart, The Bebop Guitars, Grant Langford, Antonio Orta, and many more.
He participated in festivals such as DC Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Frank Mantooth Jazz Festival, Beantown Jazz Festival, Elmhurst Jazz Festival, Glenn Ellyn Jazz Festival, and Barquisimeto Jazz Festival.
Francisco has been a guitar instructor for organizations such as Cardon Studios, International School of Music, NIU Community School of The Arts, Boston School of Guitar, and owns a private studio.
He was Ensemble Director at DC Scholars Public Charter School and Graduate Teaching Assistant for History of Jazz, Northern Illinois University.
At Levine
Francisco joined Levine in August 2019 teaching guitar.
“I love that at Levine there is a high level of specialization for each area of music. It’s a very student-oriented school, where you will get the best of the best in each area you want to study designing and creating for you the best path for accomplishing all of your musical goals, and making you an all-around musician, and also tons of diverse performing opportunities. This is an extremely healthy environment for growth!”
Teaching Philosophy and Approach
“I focus on creating a very individualized lesson for everyone. I see students’ strengths, weaknesses, and I create a very specific study plan. My job is to make the student achieve musical freedom by showing them very practical ways to internalize rhythm, harmony and melody, and how they interact with each other both in general and specifically on the guitar. We work hard on learning the instrument in high detail, reading, and also on repertoire that the student is interested in. I also try to expose them to new styles and pieces constantly, to develop different areas of their playing or to awaken some passion, taste and appreciation for other styles of music.”