I started guitar in 1959 and have been playing and teaching ever since. Just tell me what you want to learn. From beginner to advanced I usually have something that I can add to your playing. Click on the links to the right for more details on what I teach.

The DeFoore Music Institute in Mineola, Texas, currently has five music teachers and approximately 140 students. In addition to guitar and songwriting, the Institute offers music instruction in bass, mandolin, banjo, autoharp, piano, fiddle, violin, music theory, and performance.

For more than 40 years, my mission has been to introduce everyday people to the art and science, heart and soul of playing the guitar. I encourage my students by giving them 'permission' to write their own songs; make their own music.  Truth is, I MAKE my students write songs - it's part of their homework.  For many, it turns out to be therapy.  For others, the songs generate tears and laughter for family and friends.  And for a number of former students, it's become part of a more public journey toward writing songs that have enjoyed audiences on a national scale.

Some approach their assignments with uncertainty and fear.  Others take to the process like it's second nature.  The way I see it, EVERYONE can make their own music.  There's no greater joy as you learn guitar than to create your own songs and be able to sing and play them for yourself, for your friends and family, and even for the world if that's what you want to do.

Several of my students have gone on to make names for themselves in the music industry. Check out the Students page to see what some of my former pupils have accomplished, and check out this news report about me and my students from KLTV 7 Tyler.

 

Sarah toured professionally with the Masat Family Band from 1997-2006, playing in 44 states and averaging 100 dates a year. They appeared at numerous fairs, bluegrass festivals, resorts, amusement parks (Six Flags Over Texas and Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri), and were featured on several TV and radio programs. They also had a family restoration ministry which they shared in hundreds of churches across the country.

In 1995 Sarah founded Endless River Studio, a music studio providing piano and fiddle lessons. Since then, Sarah has taught more than 120 students how to play and enjoy music, and her original studio is now part of the DeFoore Music Institute. Her method is Suzuki based but includes many other styles and ideas, including composition, improvisation, and performance abilities.

Sarah is a champion fiddler and pianist whose grace on her instruments has been compared to pianists Jim Brickman and George Winston, and to fiddler Alison Krauss.

Ross Holmes
(Fiddle / Violin)

Ross Holmes, former national fiddle champion, started out with piano at age three and switched to fiddle at age nine. He studied fiddle under a variety of instructors and Classical violin under Dr. Kurt Sprenger, conductor of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra.

He has performed for President George W. Bush, played on the Today Show, and in the world famous Carnegie Hall. He has also performed with The Fort Worth Symphony, George Strait , The Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rimes, Mark O’Connor, Ricky Skaggs, and many others.

In 2005-6, Ross toured with MCA recording artist Josh Turner, performing at the CMA and ACMA awards shows and on The Grand Ole Opry live show. He is a founding member of the acclaimed bluegrass band (Skaggs Family Recording artists) Cadillac Sky. He also performs with the gypsy-jazz band, Yo! Gadjo which features legendary guitarist Slim Richey. He has hosted workshops at numerous festivals and appeared as a guest artist on many recording projects.

 

 

Ross is also an accomplished composer, and is currently developing a fiddle course for all levels of fiddlers. Ross joined the DeFoore Music Institute Staff in April 2004, and offers a unique method which combines ear training and note reading ability, advanced theory, classical and all styles of fiddling, with an emphasis on improvisation.

Kevin Best
(Beginning Guitar / Bass)

Kevin Best, a former student of Mr. DeFoore, teaches guitar and bass to beginners of all ages at the DeFoore Music Institute. He studied music composition at Lamar University in Beaumont and is a 27 year veteran of the Dallas Fire Dept. He finds most of his musical inspiration from the late Rich Mullins and his old guitar teacher.

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Sally McBurnett (Voice / Piano) Sally McBurnett and her husband Mark have been Mineola residents for 24 years and have raised six children, two of which were homeschooled from elementary grades through the completion of high school. Sally, who has been teaching voice for fifteen years, studied voice for three years at University of Texas at Austin and two years at University of Texas at Tyler, with special courses in vocal pedagogy and vocal literature.

While at UT Tyler, Sally had a leading role in the operetta Amahl and the Night Visitors, along with being vocal coach for the child who played the part of "Amahl". She also assisted with the STAR Children's Choir, held at UT Tyler, for two years. Very familiar with musical theater, Sally has enjoyed leading or prominent roles in numerous musical revues and musicals, such as Carnival, My Fair Lady, Oliver, Carousel, and The Sound of Music. She also directed The Birthday Party, a children's musical, for the city of Mineola. Sally has been soprano soloist for three productions of the Messiah, and she has sung both classical and popular songs for countless weddings. As she loves to sing, Sally gets an even greater joy in helping others to develop their God-given voice to its greatest potential. "Vocal Hygene" [taking care of your voice] is greatly emphasized, as Sally, after damaging her voice, was able to take positive steps to restore it. Ear training and sight singing, especially with younger students, are also included in lessons. Along with voice, piano has been a mainstay for Sally since childhood. She is currently keyboardist for the contemporary praise services of three different churches. Sally began her piano teaching 22 years ago, after attending a piano pedagogy workshop at Paris Junior College. Several years later, she attended a Mayron Cole workshop and decided to use the Mayron Cole method [www.mcpiano.com], which instructs students from ages five to adult.