Band Jay
If there is a musician who feels as though he can breathe in any style of music, it is guitarist and composer Jay Santo. From Metal to Classical to Jazz and everything in between, Jay has worked hard for many years to define a distinct style that is all his own. His releases includes two demos recorded in the early 90's with the Metal band "Ademus", his own solo classical guitar debut "Espiria", released in 2000, and the long awaited debut of the Crimson Sky CD in Sept 2004. Jay spends much of his time working on music. Currently he is practicing for a classical guitar recital and working with a new line-up on the next Crimson Sky CD. He will also be appearing on a few up and coming projects with other artists such as CT metal band Visla Claret's 2007 debut CD.
Jay received his Associate of Fine Arts degree in Classical Music from the Community College of Rhode Island in 1996. From there he attained his Bachelor's degree in Music Education with a minor in Jazz studies from Rhode Island College in 2002. He also holds two certificates from recording/engineering courses at Celebration Sounds, and was awarded the Hibbard Perry Scholarship by the American Mandolin and Guitar Society in 1995.
Jay currently teaches general music at Hugh Cole Elementary School in Warren RI. In the past he has also worked a slew of very alike and different music teaching situations. From 2001 - 2002 he was part of a special outreach program provided by the Music School of the Rhode Island Philharmonic teaching guitar classes to under-privileged children. Also during this time he taught behavior challenged, and special ed. students at the Bradley Schools in Portsmouth and East Providence RI. In 2003 he taught general music at Rockwell Elementary School in the Bristol-Warren School District. From 2004 - 2006 he spent time teaching between three schools in Norwich CT. Jay has also been teaching private guitar lessons at Roberts Music in West Warwick, RI since 2000.