STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Mission Statement

The objective of the Buddy Booker Bass Academy is to provide affordable bass lessons that guide people to identify their goals and achieve them.  Be it rock star, pro, acing your audition or just having a great time becoming the bass player you want to be.  Beginners will receive the challenges they need to actually see progress. Intermediates, the where with all to get to the next level; pros, the fine tuning they need to succeed in any situation and for teachers, the criteria and methodology necessary to grow their students effectively.

Successful Auditions

I’ve had great success helping students get into Berkeley School of Music, The New School, Princeton, NYU, LaGuardia Performing Arts High School and Frank Sinatra Performing Arts High School.

Several times this has been achieved with the benefit of scholarship.

Many of my students have passed their auditions into various bands at every level.  I receive calls periodically from musical directors and bands looking for bass players. Not only do I welcome these calls, I have seen many of my students succeed in these opportunities and I look forward to many more.

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I welcome all modes of study from 1 lesson a year to three times a week. There is never any pressure. Study as often or as little as you see fit for your goal.

With that said, I have a few students that have persevered to graduate from my school.

They are Lee Nadel, Matt Kong and Antar Goodwin.

On Deck for Graduation:

Miguel Mateus, Evan Wagner and George Oberndorfer ( house bass player on MTV's 'Say What? Karaoke' and The band Emergency Service)

Notable working Musicians:

Nate Jones, Many Gospel recording artists, Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, Jennifer Devoe of The Sexy Champions and Dynasty and Carolyn Sills of Boss Tweed

Notable Stories

Cecilia Anton went from no musical experience to playing CBGB's within eight months. After playing for only a year she made it into three NYC punk bands: The Corvettes, another unnamed punk band, and an Emo rock band called The Last Show. They’ve all played at regular clubs around NYC.She had never picked up a bass before she starting taking lessons with Buddy. Quote: "If it wasn't for Buddy I would have never played at CBGBs. He has pushed me to the limit and made me believe that anything is possible. I thought I was only going to play bass for fun and now I can't stop playing. It's all his fault. He's made the impossible become possible."

Albert Amigo had never taken a bass lesson until age 32. A year and a half later he's picked up the instrument like a natural. He's now playing regularly. Quote: "Buddy's a great wealth of knowledge and he's always got a great lesson plan. He’s always challenging me to take it to the next step... sometime that’s frustrating because I have no musical background, but he's very encouraging."

Antar Goodwin has been in high demand.He’s palyed with Benny Golson, Jacey Falk, Ruth Brown and Fred Westley of the James Brown band, to name a few. He's the leader of his own jazz quintet that plays regularly throughout NYC, Philly and New Jersey and has written countless scores to dance pieces and poetry readings as the musical director for the New Culture Collective. He is also playing with Tutu, an up-and-coming R&B funk artist, and even finds time to jam with a handful of funk cover bands in the city. 
Quote: "When I first got to Buddy, I knew a little theory and a little technique. But what he did was connect all the dots and fill in all the holes. And not in a typical, linear fashion, but in a way that made sense. He took the time to figure out how I played and what it was I needed to do and then taught me in the way I needed to learn. And for someone who is highly opposed to schooling and authority, I found this to be really helpful. I've been to Berkeley and a handful of other top schools, but the people there could not solve my issues for me. In two lessons Buddy was able to straighten out what people were not able to do for me for years."

Lee Nadel has been busy touring with his pop/rock band Carbondale (www.carbondalerock.com) since they signed with RCA Records in December of 2001. When not on the road or in the studio, Lee is constantly doing freelance bass work and has played for the likes of Angela Aamons, Kim Plainfield, Mitch Stein, Brian Don, Rodney Howard and Oz Noy among countless others. He studied bass with Buddy for over six years before graduating. 
Quote: "Buddy's the man."

Nate Jones was gigging constantly in the past year. He played with musicians Don McClurken and LaShantees, as well as a handful of new, up and coming artists. Nate is currently a member of the rock group Her, a jazz/fusion project and a gospel group. 
Quote: "His teaching is student oriented. He's all about the students. And he's very into what you're doing, not just your bass playing, but all around, as far as life in general... all of it revolves back to music. He's very student driven, always finding out if you're accomplishing your goals. If I have any problems - buying equipment, buying a bass - he's just he man. He's been there, done it, and he's always willing to help anybody. Not just his students, anybody. I call him Professor Booker."

Nikolia Fraiture has gained much notoriety in the bass world recently for his role in the rock sensation, The Strokes (www.thestrokes.com). Being hailed as Band of the Year by Spin Magazine, The Strokes have been all over the media in the past year, playing all the major late night shows and even opening up for the Rolling Stones. Although busy touring the world and playing show after sold out show, Nikolai still finds time to return to his native NYC and keep up on his chops with weekly lessons.

Carolyn Sills has been gigging all over Manhattan and much of the East Coast with her blues/rock trio, Boss Tweed. She compliments her bass skills with solid blues vocals, a combination that has her gaining much attention in the city. 
Quote: "Buddy Booker is the quintessential bass teacher: attentive, passionate and insanely skilled. If you need help getting to the next level, Buddy will take you there and beyond."

Jennifer DeVeau started composing on keyboard at the age of 12. She picked up the guitar three years later. By the age of 16 her band, Girl, had reached local stardom in Massachusetts, and went on to tour Liverpool, England later that year. After college, Jennifer moved to New York City where she started collaborating with other musicians. But it wasn't until someone suggested that she try playing bass that things really clicked. She was fortuitously led to Buddy Booker. Jennifer currently plays in Dynasty and Sexy Champions. 
Quote: "Studying with Buddy Booker has opened my mind to a whole new world of opportunity. He is patient, intuitive, brilliant; a teacher of great magnitude. It is because of him that I have the confidence and ability to reach my creative potential. May we never cease to learn."

Vanessa Ward - the original bass player for Mindless Self Indulgence

Additional Testimonials

Quote: "I've been learning from him and watching him teach others for the last three years and I have never seen such a chameleon as a teacher. He works so well with individuals, and in a life where it is all standardized testing, clothing, seating, thinking and EVERYTHING - Buddy is the breath of fresh air every artist needs." Kaddy Feast

Quote: "Buddy is the first teacher in my life that has every challenged me, and that's the truth." Brady Schecter

 
Quote: "Buddy Booker is an inspiration and a friend - I'm glad I've met him." Will Lutrell

Quote: "Buddy is the man." Kelvin Alexis

Quote: "I was self taught for many years, but after being a student of Buddy's for only one year, I feel like I have grown so much as a bass player. It's incredible - he is really a top teacher, not just because of the fundamentals of the bass that he teaches, but the life experiences that he goes over that really make the lessons enjoyable." Tyree Pope

 
All of these students are achieving their musical goals and so can you!