Tomás Vela

North West

Chief Strategy Officer
Guitar: electric, acoustic, and classical
Ages 8+,  all levels
Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance, University of Texas at San Antonio
Master of Music in Guitar Performance, University of Texas at San Antonio

Teaching Philosophy

“The beautiful thing about learning, is that nobody can take it away from you.” – B.B. King.

Every student has the potential to do great things, and my goal is to empower every student with the tools they need to be successful. I want to make a difference and teach someone to learn and think about music in a new light. Students will leave my studio with the tools to learn and engage with music for the rest of their lives. I believe that every student has the ability to learn and I will serve as the facilitator. There is a lot of young talent and promise in the next generation of guitarists. I hope that every student finds their lessons with me to be fun and engaging.

Biography

Tomás Vela started playing guitar at 12 and first learned rock and heavy metal genres. In college, he studied classical guitar and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music with a concentration in guitar performance. In 2009 and 2010 he received awards for “Outstanding Guitarist” in solo and ensemble categories as well as other awards from various competitions. In 2012 he won the annual UTSA Concerto Competition.

Since 2014, Tomás has taught guitar at the Musical Arts Center of San Antonio, and in 2015, he accepted the position of Guitar Director at Alamo Heights High School. In that same year, Tomás created the San Antonio Youth Guitar Orchestra (SAYGO). Additionally, his students have competed in state level competitions, enrolled in college for music, performed at the Tobin Center, and earned top awards for UIL and TAPPS.

​Tomás loves the Spurs, training for triathlons, cycling, learning new languages, film, art, and wine.

MACSA Guitar Teacher Tomás Vela