Toronto Guitar Institute

I've been going to Rick for guitar lessons for the past few months and it's been a rewarding experience. Rick is an excellent teacher, whose patience and knowledgable approach has been really helpful to my development. In addition to one-on-one lessons, Rick provides great instructional videos for practicing at home. My step-son also attends the Guitar Institute and enjoys his lessons, too. Highly recommended.

I've been taking classical guitar lessons from Rick for 10 months and it's been a good experience. Rick's books used in the lessons have exercise pieces that introduce various styles of music while progressing technically at a reasonable yet challenging pace for the learner. The exercise pieces are fun to play, which is important in keeping the learning experience interesting and rewarding, especially for an instrument with a rather steep learning curve in the beginning like classical guitar. Rick also seems to be knowledgeable about music theory and history, which he is glad to discuss during the lessons. I'd recommend for anyone looking for classical guitar lessons in Toronto.

My daughter (7 yrs) has been taking guitar lessons from Rick for 3 months from scratch. After an initial consultation, Rick recommended taking acoustic guitar lessons first before transitioning into classical guitar. I'm glad that we followed his advice - it has been a gratifying experience. She can now play & sing a few songs - while building a solid musical & technical foundation. More importantly, she has developed an enthusiasm for guitar and has been motivated to practice a lot daily. Rick is a gifted musician and a great instructor. He is very patient with young students; the new challenges assigned is perfect for her practice routine. My daughter feels very accomplished every week and couldn't wait for the next lessons. I would heartily recommend Rick's lessons. We look forward to a long & exciting musical journey ahead.

I started classical guitar lessons with Richard Summers about five months ago, and from before our first lesson to now he has been an amazing, caring, and effective teacher. Rick's care for his students, and ability to explain important form and theory content surpass other teachers I have worked with before. Before our lessons even began, Rick helped me understand which type of guitar to purchase for our lessons, and was happy to explain to me the specific rationale and differences between guitar types. In lessons, even though we've only worked over Zoom so far, he pays careful attention to every note you play and which finger you're playing with to provide careful feedback which has immensely helped my playing. He is an effective communicator, which is helpful when it comes to some of the subtleties of learning to play music. One of the best things about Rick that I've experienced is his ability to write compelling and beautiful music, which makes practicing and learning much more interesting. The first three books of music for beginners are pretty well entirely composed by Rick, and from the simple to the more complicated works the music is really beautiful. When it comes to learning to play an instrument, I find it much easier to dedicate myself to the time practicing when the song you're playing is one you really like, compared to things you have no interest in. Beyond the instructing and musicality, Rick is also a cool guy. When you spend a fair amount of time every week with someone who isn't in your friend/family circle, you want the get along with the person, and Rick fits the bill. He's got an interesting and thoughtful perspective on life and I enjoy chatting with him during our lessons.

I have been having lessons for 8 months now with Richard Summers. He has great ears and is able to pick out the smallest details that many beginners can't detect. Without him I would have continued on with my bad habits as a self taught guitarist. Always grateful for his lessons.

Rick is a methodical teacher with wealth of knowledge, structured pedagogy and passion for teaching! My son loves the guitar lessons with him. We highly recommend him to anyone that wants to learn about how to play classical guitar.

Rick is kind and passionate about music. He is patient to see his students make progress and grow, while he makes sure they are learning the technical nuances correctly and effectively. He has a keen eye for details and his instructions and recommendations have eased the challenges involved in learning the classical guitar for a beginner. It has been a true pleasure learning the classical guitar with Rick.

As a student for over 3 years, I can strongly recommend Toronto Guitar Institute as one of the most knowledgeable guitar schools I've ever seen. With Rick being the teacher for classical guitar, I've learnt and perfected songs I would've never thought I could master, "Spanish Romance" being one of them. Ranging from pieces to musical theory, Rick has easily helped me understand the basics to advanced levels of note reading to scales, pitches, rhythm, and dynamics. If you're looking for a patient, knowledgeable and a great sense of communication in a teacher, Rick will be one of the best you'll ever find.