Meet Carole Pellatt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carole Pellatt.

I am originally from Montreal, Canada. I started playing guitar when I was 11. From that moment on I knew I would be a musician, and spend most of my time playing and practicing. I played my first professional gig when I was 15 and have never looked back.

CAROLE PELLATT is a freelance guitarist from Montreal CANADA, currently living in Phoenix, Az. She plays all styles of guitar, from acoustic fingerstyle to rock lead guitar. She performs with many different groups, both freelancing and in bands of her own.

She is available for hire in all styles of performance; in ensemble and solo playing, as well as recording. She’s worked as a musical director for awards shows, musical consultant for films, and she also teaches privately. Carole conducts “Jamming Workshops” designed to help people of all ages learn how to play in bands.

She has had three musical groups associated with the Arizona Commission for the arts and also directs rock camps across the country for the largest rock camp organization in the U.S.

CAMP JAM/POWER CHORD ACADEMY:
In addition to freelancing, Carole has several musical projects that she plays with on a regular basis. On the “my bands” page you will see a link to each of her bands. There will Also be a place to either hear or see the band or project listed on that page. Please check out her YOUTUBE CHANNEL to listen to Carole’s guitar playing. And be sure to go to the “contact info” page of this site if you’d like her for your next project, gig, or lesson- or if you just need someone to fill in.

I am an independent contractor, a freelance musician-guitarist, music producer, music camp director, private guitar instructor. I am originally from Montreal, Canada. I now live in Phoenix. Music is an inspiration. I have played music professionally and taught it since I was fifteen. It has taken me around the world, from the jungles of South America to the Himalayas where I have brought guitars to leave with people, performed and instructed. In Phoenix, I have been on the gigging scene for 25 years. The skill set required for a freelance musician is very high.

I am a founding board member of “Respect The Music” foundation http://www.respectthemusicfoundation.org/.

Aside from gigging in every aspect of playing guitar, from lead rock guitar to blues, to fingerstyle acoustic, I prepare people for a career in the arts. I specialize in the ergonomics of playing guitar, as well as the art of improvisation. I run improv workshops, produce musicians who are new to the recording process, write curriculum for “Respect The Music,” and maintain a busy gig schedule. I directed the largest rock music camp in the country for ten years, Camp Jam, throughout the United States.

My goal is to inspire artists of all ages, whether or not they plan to make a living at it. I graduated from Musicians Institute in Hollywood where I was mentored by some incredible players, and carry forward the desire to continue the exploration of my instrument and to connect students and audiences towards a deeper connection with their internal creativity.

All the bands on this website are available for performances, public or private, personal or corporate, and Carole is available for private lessons, online lessons, band coaching, and group teaching. Carole is a founding member on the board of Directors for newly launched, “Respect The Music Foundation.” “Respect The Music” is dedicated to bringing the excitement and passion of music and musical education to students at all levels, as well as adults.

From school classes to extra-curricular programs, we help teachers teach, and we help music lovers gain a greater understanding of music, how it’s made, how it’s performed, how to get more out of every musical moment, from the sounds, the skills, the psychological impacts and the health benefits and dangers inherent in sonic environments we live IN.

I also have a band and we’re called – BONEYARD. It is an eclectic mix of respected Valley musicians; It’s fun and engaging and can be enjoyed by music lovers of all backgrounds; Myself on guitar, Dom Moio on drums, Joe Garcia on percussion, and Todd Johnson on bass. We are an instrumental band that plays an outrageous variety of instrumentals by my favorite guitarists, ranging from Jeff Beck, Bill Frissel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, to Joe Diorio, Bruce Cockburn, and Link Wray. It’s a fun eclectic band, that involveds the audience in the song stories and history of the musical styles. We are strictly a concert band, so any time we play, it’s in a listening environment.

For Boneyard dates, as well as my solo finger style gigs, you can click the “calendar” link on my website. There is also a “guitar lesson” link on my website for anyone who is interested in lesson. It explains my process for teaching.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s never a smooth road. That’s the beauty of it. The road to the arts, and the road to teaching and sharing the arts requires a vast knowledge base, first of your skill, then of how the brain and creativity work, how the body works, how the psyche affects movement and improvement, how to practice effectively, and how people think, where they store their creativity, and how to unlock it.

The skill level required to be a professional freelancer requires multiple high-level skills, business knowledge, and intuition, and the ability re-imagine yourself constantly throughout your career. Establishing yourself takes time and consistency. It requires a positive attitude and patience.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
When I perform, my goal is to send positive, open-minded energy into the room. My goal is that people leave feeling better because live music was presented and benefitted from.

When I teach, the beautiful, interesting challenges are to motivate, seek improvement by using positive reinforcement and truly be able to give my students their wings to create effortlessly. It is a long process, but a joyful one.

When preparing a student for a career in the arts, I approach them based on their level and open they may be too serious techniques. I have students who are in their first career as musicians-younger ones, and many who are older and entering professional music for the first time. I also have students who are neuro-psychologists, lawyers, doctors, and engineers, who find the injection of musical and creative energy profound in their current careers.

They are changed people after their first few performances, recordings, improv workshops, and after years of improvement. Respect The Music Foundation is an organization with some very respected international musicians whose goal is to get music listening training out in the communities, we are currently writing curriculum and doing small programs as we grow this organization.

What do you love about our city and what do you dislike?
I think I like best about Phoenix is all the work in the arts available to creative people.

There are so many things going on here. Because it is a corporate destination, there is lots of work for players. The part I like the least is the heat, as you might expect from a Canadian.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carolepellatt.com
• Phone: 602-402-7681
• Email: reelcoolimage@cox.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clpellatt
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PellattGUITAR
• Other: http://www.respectthemusicfoundation.org/

Image Credit:
George P Lukes

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