Deft Digits

Joe is an excellent teacher. I came to him as a beginner and I immediately connected with his way of teaching and made quick improvement. He is very organized, calm and patient and makes his lesson fun. At the end of each lesson, I feel enthusiastic and I want to practice. He always encourages you and listens to what you would like to play and helps you to be a better musician.

He puts a lot of effort to help his students and he also organized very cool Jam sessions, twice a year in a cafe downtown. I highly recommend Joe. You will accomplish more than what you could ever imagine!

Joe is a great musician with the patience to give lessons! (Hard to find that combo!) :) Joe really helped us all improve. After working with my daughter on guitar for several years, my son and I had to step up our game too! He took Ukulele and I took bass guitar, and I can say that Joe is talented on all instruments and was great to work with. I highly recommend him!

My daughter, age 13, has taken guitar lessons from Joe for the past 3+ years and loves it! Joe is wonderfully talented at working with kids of all age levels. He's able to mix the right amount of musical education, inspiration and goal setting to make lessons and practice fun and fulfilling. His bi-annual Coffee Shop Jam collaborative performances have been incredibly fun for her.

Not only have the events inspired her to start writing her own songs, but she has gained so much confidence performing on stage with her teachers and peers. I know this experience will help her in other areas of her life. If you are looking for an experienced musician who is also an amazing teacher for kids and adults of all ages, Joe is the right fit for you!

Joe is fantastic! He's an incredible musician, an excellent teacher, and a top notch human. My son and I have been taking lessons from Joe for nearly four years and our only regret is that we did not start sooner. Joe is equally effective with a young, nimble, and proficient student (not me) as he is with a middle aged, tone deaf beginner (me). Every lesson is well planned, organized and specifically tailored to the abilities and interests of the particular student. If you are interested in guitar and there is an opening in Joe's schedule, I highly recommend that you take it.

I highly recommend Deft Digits and Joe Walker! My 10 year old son has taken ukulele lessons from Joe for 15 months, and during that time: * Joe is very well organized; both in lesson structure and communication * Joe caters lessons to the individual, keeping their interest with content they enjoy while still teaching basics like chords * During lessons, Joe has shown to be patient and kind, while still being firm in terms of staying on point Joe's online scheduling is easy to use and always up to date, and his lessons consistently start and end on time.

During lessons, Joe is composed and professional. The lessons are structured in a way that is predictable for students and flexible so that if a student comes to the lesson with a new interest, they work on that. My son began his lessons with Joe with the goal of learning how to play a Star Wars theme on the ukulele, and not only has he mastered several of those, he has also learned to play his favorites from Fall Out Boy and Weezer.

In addition, my son has learned chords, how to manage his time practicing, and how to read music. Joe has made learning the ukulele fun for my son, and my son is proud of his accomplishments.

I have a 9 year old boy who takes guitar lessons from Joe. Joe is an excellent teacher and has a deep knowledge of music. My son is having a great time learning the songs he wants to play, learning music theory along the way and discovering that he likes to sing.

I have played guitar for most of my life but without much ambition or great skill. A few years ago, after watching my son Peter turn into a very proficient drummer who loves to perform and to play loud and hard, I decided I needed to step up my game in the hopes of being able to join Peter at one of the coffee shop jams. Joe got me there very quickly and I am having great fun getting comfortable on stage and even singing some in addition to getting better at guitar.

My son also decided to pick up bass (with Joe teaching him) to broaden his musical repertoire. Joe is a very motivating, logical, and structured teacher. He is also a pretty great guitarist. I am looking forward to the lesson every week.

Joe has been my teenage son's guitar teacher for the past two years and our family feels so lucky to have him! He's thoughtful, fun, keeps kids engaged, patient and makes the experience so positive. I really appreciate that he allows his students to make choices about what they want to learn and it exponentially helps in their learning curve! Additionally, as a busy mom of four, having the online scheduling and ability to change and make appointments is fantastic. I can't say enough about how great Joe is!

Joe is an exceptional teacher. My daughter (9 yrs) has been taking lessons from him for nearly three years and we both appreciate his blend of expert instruction, humor, appreciation for a wide range of music, and high expectations. He's also just a kind and thoughtful human being. Yes, getting her to practice is not easy but Joe makes the practice manageable (blend of "note races", mystery songs, and song chosen by the student) with the baseline expectation that the guitar is "in your lap" at least once a day. He also creates low-key, optional performance experiences which add a level of fun and opportunity for students. I cannot recommend him highly enough!

My two kids, age 7 and 10, take lessons from Joe (my 7 year old started when she was 5 1/2). Joe has the perfect balance of patience and encouragement. The kids learn the songs they like, and are also taught to read music and understand musical theory. Taking lessons from Joe has been an invaluable experience for my kids and they look forward to seeing him and demonstrating what they have practiced over the week. We plan to learn from Joe in the years to come and to enjoy a lifetime of guitar playing!

Joe is simply amazing as an instructor. My son started with Joe when he was 6 and going into 1st. Joe was patient and immediately had him playing tunes that my son liked. He never lost interest and Joe was great at engaging him throughout the lesson even at a young age. Joe makes music fun while teaching technique and music theory. Joe figures out what you like from a music standpoint and builds on that so that you learn. Now I just can't wait to take lessons from Joe. But my younger son is next.

I'm 50 and I've been playing since high school, but without formal training. Joe has connected a lot of the dots that have been floating around in my head. Joe is knowledgable and patient, and he works with students to play what they want. He doesn't impose repertoire. I've worked with him on classic rock and surf rock; he's expert in jazz as well.

He works with students of all ages, and I'm always impressed with the younger students at recitals. He has developed helpful online tools as well as curriculum to help teach music reading. He also works from workbooks if the students are inclined -- I've found that helpful. His Northeast Seattle location is convenient, and his scheduling / rescheduling policy is reasonable and fair.

I was a bit anxious as I'd never taken guitar before, and I was juggling other extra curricular activities (demanding and extreme voice lessons, master's school, a swamped workload). but despite all that, Joe was such a great teacher - and they were SKYPE lessons at that! Not only does he answer every question with great thought and consideration, but he cares to customize your guitar education in more ways than one.

He knew I wasn't trying to become a master guitarist, but more to learn enough to accompany myself while I sing. Knowing the kind of music I liked, he'd give out custom guitar exercises that were tailored towards my personal guitar goals as well as listen to the newest songs I was liking and would draft up chords for the song by the next lesson.

One of the details I always appreciated as a student of Joe's is that he took notes of each lesson documenting our progress and noting what my homework was, that way on the next lesson we picked up right where we left off. This sounds small, but coming from other 1:1 instructors who hardly knew names MUCH LESS your progress - this was incredibly appreciated.

I felt well taken care of as his student and felt like he genuinely cared about my goals and my progress. In short, Joe is a phenomenal teacher - he's the best choice you'll ever make when it comes to your music education :)

Joe is an amazing teacher no matter where you want to go with the guitar. He tailors his lessons to each student's goals and needs very well -- he can help you do anything, from strumming 4-chord camping songs to advanced jazz improvisation. I was looking to get more serious about my playing, and in just a few weeks I've seen an amazing improvement.

He has a professional attitude, but is able to keep things fun and always has the joy of making music in mind. He takes notes on each student and is well-prepared for each lesson. Fantastic!

Great guy. Really understand music and technology. I really liked the way he brought technology into our lessons--breaking down songs, ear training. Joe helped me with some things I was working on, but also opened my mind up to other subjects - more theory and the Blues. This has really helped me become a better player.

Joe is a great teacher - friendly and knowledgeable. Taking lessons with him taught me a lot about so many subjects - guitar specific things like fretboard knowledge, and more general subjects like theory, arpeggios, or learning tunes. Also Joe gave me good practical advice for playing in jam sessions. As a teacher he listens, is organized, and gives good feedback. In my case I had plenty of homework outside of the lessons to help me reach my goals.