Mr. Stephen B. Rekas

Education and Training

• Currently the only Suzuki guitar teacher in the St. Louis area. Certified in Books 1-4.
• Post-graduate certification in the Advanced Studies Program: Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
• Master’s degree in Classic Guitar Performance at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE); honors included a Competitive Graduate Award.
• Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish Literature, Music Theory and Composition and Guitar Performance at SIUE.
• Ten years of study in Barcelona, Spain including: classic guitar, music theory, sight singing, Spanish language, printmaking, figure drawing, color theory, graphic design, and studio art. Private guitar study with Eduardo Sainz de la Maza and Maria Luisa Anido plus master classes with José Tomás and Emilio Pujol.
• Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and English Literature at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

Select Accomplishments

•Taught English as a Second Language at Inlingua School of Languages Barcelona, Spain.
•Guitar instructor at The American College of Barcelona; served as an elementary and middle school substitute teacher at The American School, Barcelona, Spain.

Honors and Awards
• 2009 ROSE Award (Rockwood Outstanding Service in Education)
• Christian Ott Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages (SIUE).
• Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda national honor societies.
• Twice recipient of the Mark Gerdleman Honors Award in Music Composition (SIUE).

Professional Experience
• Worldwide Chat Operator and freelance Music and Text Editor for Mel Bay, 2012 to present.
• Adjunct Professor of English as a Second Language at St. Louis University.
• Music and Text Editor/Author Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Pacific, MO 1996 to 2008.
• Edited Mel Bay’s Guitar Sessions webzine, and performed final edits of music and text for numerous books.
• Author of four books for Mel Bay Publications; drafted many of the company’s best-selling authors resulting in dozens of catalog items.
• Taught trumpet and guitar privately since junior year in high school.