Sean Kelly

Sean Kelly, born on October 13, 1987, began playing the guitar when he was thirteen years old, on an acoustic guitar purchased from eBay. Not even a year had passed before Sean decided strumming the same old chords and struggling with higher notes on the acoustic was not what he wanted to be doing. For his 14th birthday, his parents gave him an entry level electric guitar/amp starter package.

Sean took lessons from a local instructor Jim Rutkowski for almost five years. During this time, he focused on rock guitar. Sean composed a few of his own songs in this genre, one of which is still online to be heard at http://www.purevolume.com/seanpkelly.

His sophmore year of highschool, Sean joined his highschool jazz band and concert band. Concert band being a prerequisite for the jazz band, Sean opted not to play percussion, and took up the alto saxophone. He played second chair alto in concert band, and started off on guitar in the jazz band. However, during his junior year, Sean became first chair tenor saxophone in both concert and jazz band, due to the fact that the jazz band already had a guitarist, and need saxophones more. Regardless, Sean was being exposed to jazz.

After his seventeenth birthday in October of 2004, Sean decided he wanted to focus on strict Jazz guitar. Lessons with Jim Rutkowski were sadly ended, in search of a jazz teacher. His current instructor, Dave Dana, was recommended to him by fellow highschool jazz band guitarist Mike Johnston, and pianist Darren Litzie.

In early December, Sean entered a talent competition at his school, offering a $250 prize, in efforts to raise money for an archtop guitar. Playing two of his original compositions, Sean won the prize money.

After a month of guitar shopping, Sean finally settled on an Ibanez GB-10 archtop guitar (natural finish) as his first true Jazz Guitar in mid-January.

Sean currently studies music performance and computer engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA

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