About Jonathan McBee:

I first discovered music at a young age listening to the radio and country music television shows with my grandmother, Mary Ann Cain.

Music has always been an important part of my life.  I had three older brothers who were discovering rock and roll before me and I was greatly influenced by the constant music playing in the house.

My childhood was spent with a great deal of private and group music instruction in piano and French horn.

At age 13, I discovered my late grandfather’s mandolin and began playing around with it.  I borrowed a couple of songbooks and a chord book from a neighbor and began teaching myself how to play.  About a year later, I realized that mandolin was not nearly cool enough and decided to learn to play guitar.

I played acoustic and electric guitar throughout high school and college as a solo artist and with a few different bands.  Singing was also very important to me.  I took vocal classes, lessons and coaching from several great teachers including Annette Shives Day and Dr. Paul Stenger of Shepherd College.  In college, I also picked up a bass guitar and pursued it as another instrument.

After playing many years I began studying music with Tom Blickenstaff and Alan Mason in Hagerstown, MD.

I’ve been teaching guitar, bass guitar, vocals and mandolin since 1995.

I have been teaching guitar at Black Cat Music Shop in Berkeley Springs, WV since February 2010.

My private instruction is tailored for individuals in the style of music that they want to learn.  With a little practice between lessons, students can develop the skills they need to move on to the next level.

Group instruction is also available with The Black Cat School of Rock.  Students are put into a group setting with their instruments and taught to play rock and roll as a band.