John McLoughlin
Professional Guitarist
John McLoughlin is a professional guitarist and classical guitar teacher from Dublin. He has played with a huge range of artists in his career, including Damien Dempsey, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Lisa Lambe and many others.
Full Episode
In our conversation, John tells us how he discovered his love of playing music, and shares insights into life as a professional guitarist. He also talks about the knowledge and skills needed to be successful as a musician, and why it is so important not to lose sight of one’s own creativity.
We hope you enjoy!
Some teacher reflection questions
Q. John taught himself to play the guitar. Do you play a musical instrument? Are you self-taught or did you have lessons? Are the challenges and rewards of being self-taught or having lessons similar or different?
Q. Although experienced in playing a variety of music genres, John loves playing and listening to rock music. Do you have a favourite musical genre? What appeals to you most about that genre?
Q. In the podcast, John talks about the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful musician, including the ability to read music and skills in working with others. What other skills are important, do you think? (This Junior Cycle Music and Key skills poster may be helpful.
Q. John says that he always records his musical ideas and compositions on his computer. Similarly, Junior Cycle Music students develop a composition portfolio. How valuable is it for musicians to record their ideas and compositions like this?