Mike Ellis is currently teaching in the Dallas area and has thirty-five years of music instruction experience. Mike had the great fortune of being apprentice to one of the great teachers of our time, Mr. Terrill Gardner. Terrill taught Mike HOW to teach. Many musicians wish to "share" their knowledge, but have no training in the art of teaching.

Mike has been in bands since he was thirteen and has played with all kinds of folks, even academy award winner Robert Duvall.  He's recorded on multiple albums and in several studios in Dallas over the years.  Not only is he a teacher, he's a performer as well.

But Mike's greatest rewards come from teaching.  Mike has three children, all grown now, and loves to see growth of all kinds, but especially musical growth. 

While at McCord Music Company, Mike was not only tutored by Terrill Gardner, but worked side-by-side with musical greats like Chuck Rainey (recorded with Aretha Franklin, Ricki Lee Jones, and a host of others), Greg Bissonett (UNT drummer who went on to play with David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr, and many more), Mac Dougherty (jazz guitar teacher at Berklee College in Boston), and Christopher McGuire (classical guitarist extraodinaire who auditioned for Andres Segovia in Spain).

Mike completed studies in "Modern Method for Guitar" books I, II, and III from Berklee College, attended the Johnny Smith Seminar in Dallas, authored two chord theory online courses (guitar and keyboard), and is featured in an interview on www.radicalguitarmethod.com (see the Links page).


Mike with hair... and Academy Award winner, Bob Duvall