Juan Guillermo García was born in Astoria, Queens in New York City to Spanish-Colombian parents. From an early age he was exposed to a wide variety of music including: Latin music (which included ethnic dances such as the Tango, Mambo, Cumbia, Merengue, Vallenato, Bolero, just to name a few) by his mother Maria Pastora Jiménez De García, Rock-N-Roll, Mo-Town & Pop music by his three older siblings (Jaime Hernán, Ines Amparo and Margarita Maria) and to Classical music by his father Guillermo de Jesús García.

Although drawn into the Sciences at an early age, he was also a gifted graphic artist. He studied at The School of Visual Arts after winning a NYC Arts scholarship but after a semester decided not to continue in that field. After learning of a program that combined music and electronics at Q.C.C. (Queensborough Community College) he thought that he had found a much more appropriate combination of study. This last attempt at experimentation in curriculum proved to be his last as he then turned his full attention to serious music study.

Juan Guillermo García received his formal musical training at both Q.C.C. but, much more extensively at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in Flushing, New York. There he received his B.A. in Music & his M.S. in Music Education. His Masters Degree was funded by the Rockefeller Brother’s Fund and was one of only 25 chosen nationally in the U.S. for this prestigious award. Although drawn into Modern sounds and harmonies as a composer, a complete surrender to 12-Tone Music and Serial Music is avoided.

Self-taught, first on piano at age 6/7 and then on guitar at 11, he was forced to turn his attention to serious piano study in college in order to fulfill school requirements. Later in life he began private study on the Violin with Jonathan Strasser.

His first private students sought out his tutelage when only a teenager and still teaches privately on most musical instruments preferring the Guitar (Classical, Jazz, Rock) Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Trumpet, Percussion and Piano.

Juan Guillermo García has taught in NYC since 1984 and on Long Island since 1999:

• Elementary Multicultural Song (Hebrew, French, Spanish, Italian)/NYC
• Middle School Concert Band/NYC
• High School & Middle School Strings & Symphony Orchestra/Suffolk County, Long Island
• Elementary School String Orchestra/Nassau County, Long Island (Presently in Great Neck)