Experienced tutor in Guitar in Las Cruces, Marcos offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

I go to know Dr. Cavalcante when he was the director of the Jazz band at Northern New Mexico College in Espanola, NM. After he left that position, I studied with him privately for 2 additional years. His knowledge base is amazing and what I would expect from a PhD educated musician. His ability to dissect and simplify jazz concepts is a real plus. I have spent lots and lots of time studying Dan Haerle's text "The Jazz Language" but Dr. Cavalcante made it all understandable. His ability to teach the concepts of understanding jazz improvisation is remarkable-he starts with simple ideas and concepts and gradually builds on them until they are quite sophisticated. As we moved to different areas in my studies, the basic concepts kept reappearing (as well they should). As the director of a jazz band, he did a remarkable job of getting the students interested and engaged in his program. He is a good human being and a nice person to get to know and work with. I would study with him again without any hesitation whatsoever and I highly recommend him for students of all levels of ability.

Marcos started teaching our son Jack guitar when he was 10 years old and continued until he was a Junior in High School. Jack started with zero experience and by the time he entered High School he was a fully proficient lead guitar player in our church worship team. Marcos was both patient and adaptable to the specific needs and goals that we had for Jack as part of his home school education. Marcos taught Jack proficiency in music reading and enabled him to eventually play by ear. I would highly recommend Marcos as a teacher for anyone that is serious about learning how to play an instrument and further their musical education, particularly the guitar. You will need to be committed to excellence and regular practice....NO SLACKERS.

Marcos has been my teacher and mentor for over a decade. During my time as his student I have come to learn so much about the Jazz language, music theory, how to work as a professional musician, and most importantly, how to teach myself. With his mentorship I was able to grow into an avid composer and writer, and because of what he has taught me, I have been able to find work playing in live performances, transcribing scores, arranging student band pieces and teaching combo jazz classes. Marcos has guided me toward becoming a creative, professional musician, and he has influenced my life greatly. It is with the utmost of respect that I give my recommendation to anyone who is interested in learning the joys of guitar and music.

-Joey Farish

He taught me just what I needed to know. Not too hard. Not too easy. He suggested music to listen to. He taught concepts and forms l could apply.

I had the pleasure of studying in both a classroom setting and also taking private lessons with Dr. Marcos Cavalcante. Playing the guitar is something that always interested me. I had been learning the guitar for many years since high school. I was in the Jazz band, and knew enough guitar chords to play with the band. I would watch videos, buy random music books at used book stores, and like most people I would look up tabs on the internet to try to learn the guitar on my own. My approach could only get me so far and I would often get the feeling of being stuck. Learning a new guitar lick or the chords to a new song wasn’t actually making me better at guitar. Dr. Marcos Cavalcante was Director and also taught college level courses for students who were seeking their Bachelor’s Degree in Music. I had the privilege of taking classroom courses such as Jazz Fundamentals, and Jazz Improvisation, as well as private guitar lessons with Marcos. I learned more in the first 6 months than I had on my own in the previous four years. I continued taking lessons with Marcos for two more years. I was able to progress through every challenge with discipline, dedication and hard work. Marcos has the amazing ability to identify your skill level and raise the bar to challenge you every step of the way. Marcos has the heart of a teacher, and is a person who cares and takes the time to cultivate a passion for learning in each one of his students.