Joe Calfa

Joey Calfa is an accomplished guitarist, ukulele player, and songwriter from NYC who has been playing music for over 20 years. Having graduated from SUNY Oneonta with degrees in music performance, audio production, and music industry, he’s always been interested in every aspect of music. After moving to Brooklyn, NY, he wrote for, performed with, recorded, and co-managed the original band Cousin Earth. He has played shows and festivals all over the United States alongside artists such as Melvin Seals & the Jerry Garcia Band, Robert Randolph, Goose, Little Feat, and more.

Joey is the program manager for the non-profit Especially Everyone, an organization whose mission is to build more connected communities through music in celebration of neurodiversity. As a private teacher, he works with people of all ages and abilities, tailoring lessons to their specific tastes, learning styles, and needs. Joey is writing and developing inclusive method and theory books for learning guitar, ukulele, bass, and drums. They are visual and colorful and build on core shapes and patterns without focusing on traditional sheet music. Joey’s goal is getting people playing right away and figuring out the learning method that works best for them.

With experience in rock, pop, funk, country, blues, modern fingerstyle, and some jazz, flamenco, and classical, Joey is a jack of all trades. From acoustic fingerpicking chord melodies to shredding electric guitar solos to comping chords for a campfire sing-along, he’s got you covered. Aside from playing, he can also work with you on songwriting and production. Part of his inclusive work with Especially Everyone involves using GarageBand to create music with people who have no previous musical experience. He also uses Legos and video games to express and teach music in non-traditional ways