Blake Madden
Bass, Guitar, Ukulele, Piano (beginners)

Blake Madden is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who has been performing and making his own music on dual cassette players and 4-track recorders since he was 13 years old. He teaches bass, guitar, ukulele, and beginning piano.

Blake grew up in Miami, Florida, but has also lived in South Africa, Japan, and New York. After feeling the limits of his mostly self-taught skills and knowledge in his late 20s, Blake began to seriously study music theory and composition through the Pacific Northwest Film scoring program, and electric bass with Todd Kovell at Seattle School of Strings (where he later taught). In that ten year period, Blake was the bass player and musical director for Seattle’s premier Prince tribute band, Purple Mane, and the bassist, lead singer, and principal composer for his own noir pop group, Hotels. Blake has performed live on KEXP, and at Seattle festivals like Bumbershoot and Capitol Hill Block Party.

Now Blake is able to incorporate his two disparate musical paths into his teaching style, connecting with students first on a DIY ‘I want to make noise NOW!’ level, then easing them into theory fundamentals based on his own memories of how humbling and challenging it can initially feel. Blake’s favorite teaching moments are when he can explain a musical concept in a more digestible, relatable way so that the ‘lightbulb clicks on’ for the student.