​

ab Menon started playing music at a young age and graduated from Sonoma State University with a B.M. in Jazz Studies and Applied Music before continuing on to complete his M.M. in Jazz Studies at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He teaches guitar while also freelancing. Some of ab’s notable performances include Outside Lands ('15), Strawberry Music Festival (’15 and ’16), Philadelphia Folk Festival (’16 and ’18), Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (’17 and ’18), Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival ('22), and Washington Women in Jazz Festival ('24). 

 

ab’s teaching philosophy is based on Victor Lin’s doctoral dissertation, “Practice makes personal:

A study of the formative experiences of jazz pianists.”  Lin studied five great jazz pianists from different generations and his findings can be distilled into four two-sided points that make an excellent guide for any musician.

 

1. Playing by ear & reading
2. Social listening & individual study of recordings
3. Frequent, low-stakes performance (club dates, jam sessions) & infrequent high-stakes performance (recitals)
4. Casual social playing (the hang and jam)

& individual practice

 

ab’s approach to teaching uses material that students are interested in as a vehicle for learning about different elements of music.