St Louis Musician | Singing Guitar Player | Singer Pianist | Solo Violinist | Wedding Musician | House Party Music | Corporate Entertainer

Music Studies

During his early college years in Illinois as a music major, classical music studies were all that was offered but Matt was becoming increasingly interested in jazz and swing dancing. He travelled across state lines whenever possible to take guitar lessons where he learned enough to continue learning on his own. With that training Matt was finally able to achieve a musical goal, the ability to sing and play jazz standards from the Great American Songbook on guitar while singing as a solo artist.

Having already taken a summer course between his junior and senior years of high school Matt knew the only place he could pursue the music education he truly needed was at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he was accepted as a vocal major. To his surprise, his guitar playing was in demand to the point that he was hired by his professors for their private studio recording projects. And because there were so few string players enrolled at Berklee at the time he also played violin for soundtrack projects, country acts, and Dave Matthews cover bands.

During these years Matt also focused on singing more current rock music by artists like Bon Jovi, Kenny Loggins, and Aerosmith.

Matt spent a couple years teaching privately and turned his focus toward becoming a full time teacher, redirecting his studies at Berklee to include music education, vocal performance, and songwriting.

After completing his first college degree in Professional Music, Matt went on to earn a master's in music education in Colorado where he also taught a guitar class to his fellow university peers as part of his scholarship.

Singer / Guitar Player Singer / Pianist Solo Violinist

Matt McCallie has been entertaining audiences all over the world since the 1990s. Starting as a teen he sang and played guitar at house parties and bookstores and twice toured Europe as concertmaster of a youth orchestra on violin.

Matt performs covers of crowd favorites as well as his own original songs that range across most popular styles and have led to winning first place awards.

Perfect

Bogey Hills Country Club 10-1-2021

Billie Jean - Acoustic Version

Imperial Ballroom 11-4-2017

As a music mentor, Matt McCallie has ventured across the United States demonstrating his skills as a director, educator, adjudicator, and clinician. He has earned K-12 Music licensure in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming.

He's taught pre-kindergarten through university choirs, bands, orchestras, guitar, and piano in public and private school classrooms.

Background

Matt McCallie has been singing and playing guitar as a soloist at events around St Louis since the 1990s. Eager to learn guitar after already becoming a solid violinist, Matt completed an entire guitar method book in one night while still in middle school and continued teaching himself to play and sing folk and pop ballads by artist like John Denver, James Taylor, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Richard Marx. He quickly became excellent at fingerstyle playing with his own unique method.

In his earliest guitar playing years Matt attended many bluegrass festivals and sat in with his six and twelve string acoustic guitars, mandolin, and fiddle. Because the music was so repetitive his interests soon expanded to other genres.

In high school Matt became a human jukebox frequently entertaining peers with covers of contemporary rock by Third Eye Blind, Sarah McLachlan, Tonic, Seven Mary Three, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Extreme, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jewel, Better Than Ezra, The Verve Pipe, Bush, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, Cake, Oasis, Alice In Chains, Carlos Santana, and Tom Petty.

Also while in high school Matt sang in every high school musical and began taking college courses where he learned stage and film acting techniques. After auditioning for the theater department at Julliard Matt realized music was a stronger passion than acting but he continued further studies in stage craft throughout his future college years.