Frederick Draper

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Classical Guitar

Faculty since 2005

Kewanee, Illinois

His musical career began at age 14 when he formed a rock-and-roll band, “Fred and the Fenders”. In the late 1960s, he entered the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to pursue serious training in the classical guitar. While still a Conservatory student, he was named Associate Teacher to his own teacher, José Rey de la Torre, at the Music and Arts Institute. Fred was fortunate to participate in Andrés Segovia’s 1966 North Carolina master class. Past performance highlights include critically acclaimed Carnegie Recital Hall concerts in 1976, 1978, and 1981. He continues to give concerts in the Segovia tradition. He has recorded two CD’s: A Frederick Draper Recital, and Romance.

In his teaching, he has two basic precepts. The first is that young people know what they like but don’t always know what they could like if given the chance. “I started out as part-owner of a coffee house, exploring rock, jazz, and folk, so I think I can understand what attracts students to music. Initially, I work with my students on what’s familiar and enjoyable to them. I introduce them to the classical form a little later.” Second, Fred feels that to keep the spirit of music alive in each person, we must “give that music away” to another person. “I ask students to think about the person(s) with whom they want to share the piece they’re studying. This form of musically “paying it forward” gives perspective to all study.”