Jacob Wielgosz studied classical guitar at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Performance. His teachers included Gregory Pikler, Aleksandr Tsiboulski, Marco Tamayo, and Raffaele Agostino. In 2014, he founded the Penrith Classical Guitar Club. The club involves performance workshops, ensemble playing, and chamber-music performances of arrangements and newly-commissioned works.
Jacob has toured regionally and internationally with the Sydney Balalaika Orchestra, both as a domra player and a guitar soloist. In addition to being a musician, Jacob is also a luthier, building classical guitars. Recent projects involve instruments built from Australian woods, designed to specifications which allow instruments to achieve the same standard as those built using traditional—now endangered—hardwoods. Jacob is currently Music Director of Good Shepherd Parish, Plumpton, where he oversees the liturgical music of numerous choirs. He runs cantor training workshops and conducts and arranges music for string, wind, and choral ensembles. Jacob is registered with the AMEB.
Hello, I’m Jacob Wielgosz. You may have seen me around The Joan wearing an interesting hat. Hats play an important role for me in my teaching, as I encounter a diverse range of students and learners. I use a different hat, or combination of hats, to teach. Here are some of them:
- The engineer: I use this hat to look at the technical side of things: what physical or musical skills are needed to execute this passage of music? Some techniques might work well for this music now, but are they going to buckle under the strain of a faster tempo? We get the technique sorted so that pieces are easier to play, and there’s room to add expression.
- The gamer: There’s little point in throwing yourself at a boss (i.e. a piece of music) over and over again and getting defeated each time. Smaller or easier enemies are good practice to develop needed skills for the more-menacing enemies and bosses. Sometimes, different approaches are needed altogether. Find out where your character’s strengths and weaknesses are so you can tackle any boss you want.
- The stationmaster: I use this hat to allow the smooth running of lessons. Instruments need to be functioning, music and resources have to be available and ready, teaching content needs to be planned, and the environment needs to be accommodating for music-making and learning. There’s a lot that goes into preparing well for music before the first note is even played.