Matt Guastamacchio is from Connecticut, where he began his musical writing and production career, since 2006. He teaches songwriting, production, guitar, piano and drums. Since 2015, he has been producing and writing for a variety of artists, in Nashville. In addition to creating music for other artists, he has released some of his own music under the name TEO, which can be found on all music platforms.

The process Matt has for creating music is from a designers point of view. Thinking of new ways to interpret an instrument or construct a lyric, he is never settled with the conventional approach. His values lie within impacting the listener not indulging in the process. Sometimes a resolve should have tension and leave you wanting more. Every project has it’s own needs. When it comes to writing – it’s all about simplifying complex ideas. This is where Matt thrives.

Not only does he love the music scene, but he loves film and TV, as well. He writes movie and TV scores (instrumental music played in movies/tv) on a regular basis, which usually involves orchestral arrangements. His most recent project was inspired by old Italian songs – incorporating singing in Italian and using traditional instruments such as accordion, mandolin, and the jaw harp, just to name a few, all arranged and recorded by him.

As a mentor, Matt hopes to help students push their musical boundaries, empowering them to explore new sounds that inspire them on a daily basis.

Matt’s Teaching Philosophy: “It’s my understanding that we learn through comprehensible input and doing. I believe teaching is facilitating that process.

There are an infinite ways to acquire information and skills. Teaching is discerning the appropriate angle for each individual student. With that said, modifying the approach whenever necessary.”

What type of student will excel best with you as his/her mentor?
“The easy answer is, an ‘open student’. Every student has an objective, even if it’s to ‘not learn’. I was the kid in school getting C’s D’s and F’s, constantly. But it wasn’t because I didn’t want to learn. I was told that the way I learn wasn’t the right way and that I had a learning disorder.

Turns out, I love learning. It’s a part of my daily life, now. So, I’m very passionate about meeting each student right where they are and seeing where we can take them, with their predisposition in mind.”

What’s your favorite local spot to spend time at?
“The best coffee in Nashville, is Sump! Delicious.
Hands down the BEST and only good pizza in Nashville is Joey’s House of Pizza. They’re a Brooklyn transplant and they are CONSISTENTLY good.
Dino’s and Gabby’s: Delicious burgers!
Mas Taco’s: fairly decent tacos.
Butchertown Hall: the only consistently good ribs in Nashville.
Hattie B’s: best hot chicken around. All the other places are dry, inconsistent and bland.”

Where do you look for creative inspiration?
“I usually go on a walk or a drive. I feel like getting out of the space that I’m working in helps stir my creativity. Also, absorbing alternative art, unrelated to what I’m working on, helps me reorient my thought process is something I do often.”

What is your favorite down-time activity to reduce stress?
“I absolutely love cooking. I do it multiple times a day and, every time, I use it as an opportunity to be creative.
I also LOVE gardening. I don’t have a lot of space, but the space I do have is usually filled up with chili peppers, herbs, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini and other beautiful plants such as cactus and succulents.”

What type of music did you grow up listening to as a kid? How did it impact your artistry?
“I grew up in a pentecostal church – exposing me to gospel and funk. I also grew up listening to old Italian music. But because of my friend groups and the culture of the day, I was steeped in Punk Rock and Hip Hop.

I love that all of these sounds were apart of my formidable years. You can imagine how this hodgepodge would influence a kid. I feel like I’m constantly pulling from a well full of diverse and exciting sounds, cultivated from my childhood. It’s cool because, nowadays pop is introducing a lot of Pop Punk into trappy and hip hip production. This is exciting for me.”