Alum

Colin Sapp

Position
Associate Professor
Affiliated Departments
Telephone
617-747-8419

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Colin Sapp is a guitarist, composer, and producer with over 150 recording credits. He has most notably performed with Backstreet Boys, Ally Brooke, Kurt Elling, Rakesh Chaurasia, Billy Gilman, and James Wolpert from NBC’s The Voice. He's the leader of Infinite Out and a member of the jazz fusion group Choose to Find as well as a published author with articles on performance, pedagogy, and peer mentoring.

Sapp has given master classes and clinics internationally on improvisation, jazz, rock, and fusion guitar; effects pedals and amps; music education and pedagogy; and performance. His YouTube channel, Inside Out Guitar with Colin Sapp, contains concepts, drills, and advice that he has developed for guitarists at all levels. He's a GHS artist.

Career Highlights
  • Leader of Infinite Out
  • Member of Choose to Find
  • Performances with Backstreet Boys, Ally Brooke, Kurt Elling, Billy Gilman, James Wolpert, and Rakesh Chaurasia
  • Publications in Journal of Popular Music Education and Massachusetts Music Educators Journal
  • Recordings include Choose to Find, Songs without Words, Requiem for a One-Night Stand, and TŌMN
Education
  • School Name
    Boston University
    State or Province
    Massachusetts
    Degree
    Master of Music (M.M.)
    Field of Study
    Music Education
    Date Degree Received
  • School Name
    Berklee College of Music
    State or Province
    Massachusetts
    Degree
    Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
    Field of Study
    Performance
    Date Degree Received
In Their Own Words

"I’m fascinated by the creative process, so I love working on improvisation and composition concepts with students. I also enjoy all different genres of music, and I’m always learning more by listening to things that might seem out of character for me. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that flexibility is a great asset in the business. Therefore, the style of guitar playing a student is really into isn’t a major factor to me; it’s whether or not the music they make is truly communicating something meaningful to the listener in the best possible way."

"Students sometimes forget to nurture their artistry while they’re in school. It’s easy to get caught up in becoming proficient at specific skills like ear training, playing at quick tempi, improvising over difficult changes, etc. I think it’s critical to use learned music concepts to inform one’s musical individuality. The learning process is a creative process, so students should compose and/or improvise new ideas as soon as they are struck with creative inspiration."