Founder of Coelho Academy of Music - Guitar, Bass, Vocal, Mandolin, Ukulele, Banjo

The Coelho Academy of Music has been providing quality music instruction in the Central Coast for fifty (50) years. Jerry opened his teaching studio at age 18 by putting an ad in the Cal Poly SLO news paper where he was attending school and got his first eight (8) students. He went from town to town teaching in the student’s homes. He finally located and moved to his studio in Santa Maria. He received his initial music training and foundation from Show Guitarist Rex Gallion and also from the Master of Film and TV Music Recording Howard Roberts. Jerry was one of ten (10) people in 1976 that were taking private and group instruction from Howard Roberts. One year later, those training sessions turned into a School named the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood California, which is now named Musicians Institute (MI).
Jerry expanded the Coelho Academy of Music to a broad range of instruction in 1997 and has been at the current location for twenty-five (25) years. Students at the Academy learn to read music as well as play by ear/example. The Academy’s mission statement is, “To Inspire Music Excellence, To Apply Musical Knowledge, and To Impart Musical Destiny”, which is Jerry’s heart.