Nathan Kolosko began teaching guitar when he was in high school, giving lessons in his parents’ basement. Hundreds of students and several decades later, he continues to teach guitar at SMCC.
Kolosko developed a love for music at a young age, learning the violin at age 3 while growing up in a home rich with music. His mother was unflinchingly committed to his Suzuki violin lessons. His father, an engineer at the Wurlitzer company, often brought home vinyl singles and albums that went in the famous Wurlitzer jukeboxes.
Kolosko started playing the guitar at age 13, and later earned associate (Niagara County Community College), bachelor’s (University of Buffalo) and master’s (University of Denver) degrees in classical guitar performance. In 2004, he moved to Maine and began offering guitar lessons out of his home.
Over the years, Kolosko has taught at the University of Southern Maine, St. Joseph’s College, Maine College of Art and the Portland Conservatory of Music. This fall, he began teaching guitar for SMCC’s new music program.
Besides teaching, Kolosko is a composer, a performer and a recording artist.
He has more than 20 published compositions that have been performed and recorded by musicians the world over. He performs as part of the Seyir Duo duet, playing Middle Eastern music on lesser-known stringed instruments such as an oud, a Persian tar, a Persian kamanche and a Turkish kemence. And he’s recorded four critically acclaimed full-length albums — one classical guitar solo, two guitar-flute duos, and one guitar duo recorded in Tokyo.
As an instructor, he believes in “teaching the student, not the method. I like to meet students where they are and get them to where they want to be.”
“The thing I like most about teaching is getting to know the students and getting them excited to continue on their journey with music. Music is all about enrichment.”