We were lucky to catch up with Tristan Kemm recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tristan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I remember shortly after graduating high school, I had already been accepted into the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as a civil engineering major (I wanted to design roller coasters for big amusement parks at the time), but I remember feeling very suddenly and urgently that I had made a big mistake. Aside from music, my best subject in school was math and I enjoyed it well enough. But music and the performing arts had always been my passion. From as far back as I could remember, I had always been involved in music. I was at a crossroads. I very clearly recall one morning having the conversation with my mom that very well changed the course of my life. I told her that I was doubting a career in engineering, explaining to her how it felt like my “safe” option. I continued to tell her that I was considering not attending college at all, and that I wanted to pursue music instead. I remember seeing the surprised look on her face, but with a mix of understanding. It was even more surprising to me to hear her say she would support me and my decision, even if I chose a “humble life of a street musician”. By the end of our talk we reached a compromise. I would attend school…for music! I immediately changed my major and auditioned for the fine arts program before my first semester began. The music program at UNM changed my life as I learned everything I could from my professors and classmates. It jumpstarted my career both as a performer and educator.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hello, I am Tristan Kemm. I’m a local San Diego musician and the director of Kemm Studios. I consider myself to be a native southwesterner. Having lived in New Mexico, Colorado, and California, with a lot of my family in Arizona, the arid southwestern corner of the US is home.
Music has always been a huge part of my life. Growing up I was always involved in music and learned how to play several instruments. While studying music at the University of New Mexico, I was active in Albuquerque’s theatre community where I performed in plays, musicals, and operas for various playhouses around the city. It was during this time, in a rehearsal of “Hairspray”, where I met the woman who would become my wife! After earning my degree from UNM in 2017, I continued performing around Albuquerque for several years.
In 2020, I moved with my wife to the Netherlands, for her to pursue a master’s degree. It was during our year in the Netherlands, in the midst of the Covid19 Pandemic, that I realized I loved teaching music. What started as a way of getting to know my neighbor by teaching her ukulele, quickly grew into a new passion. I wanted to pursue a career in music education.
We moved to San Diego in 2021 where I began teaching music at a private music studio as well as teaching TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at a language school. Throughout the next couple years I had a great time teaching both Music and English all the while learning how to become a better teacher. Teaching English to international students from around the world gave me a greater perspective of how students learn and it strengthened my sense of cross-cultural communication.
Having grown my confidence as an educator, I took the jump and established Kemm Studios in 2025. Starting with one dedicated student, I hit the ground running to promote my business. I began restlessly putting up flyers in cafes, shops, and restaurants around San Diego. One inquiry at a time I’ve been building my studio. So if you see my flyer around town please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Kemm Studios offers private music lessons on a wide variety of instruments including: guitar, piano, ukulele, voice, and trumpet. As it’s sole proprietor, students and parents can take comfort in knowing that I will be their instructor for every lesson. This allows rapport to be built between the student and instructor as well as provides consistency from week to week. Kemm Studios offers lessons Monday-Friday at students’ homes around San Diego. Saturday lessons are offered at Kemm Studios’ conveniently located classroom-studio in Mission Valley.
I pride myself in being incredibly well suited for absolute beginners, of any age. I lead with patience and kindness. I also emphasize teaching students how to read music. So many studios disregard teaching teaching how to read music, especially to guitar students in an effort to get them “playing” quicker. I think this can hinder the students growth in the long run. I believe every musician should know the basics.
I also take pride in being a generalist. I’ve performed in many different ensembles: marching band, jazz band, symphonic orchestra, rock band, mariachi, musical theatre, opera, and ballet. I also have a deep love and appreciation for music genres throughout the world and its history from Bach to Hendrix to Swift. This broad background not only gives me an understanding for what students may need depending on what they want to learn, but it also makes music lessons more fun for everyone. I love to teach students what they love to learn!
Music is a timeless universal language for EVERYONE. Kemm Studios welcomes students from all racial, cultural, religious, and gender identities. Kemm Studios welcomes students of all ages (5+), is proudly LGBTQ+ friendly, and is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you love music and want to learn, I’d be thrilled to teach you.
When I’m not teaching you can find me playing in various spots around San Diego. I love to write and perform my own original songs, a bit of folk & blues tied together with lyrics inspired by my life and the beauty of the American Southwest.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
A very rewarding aspect of teaching is seeing your student complete a performance or achieve new milestone in their musical journey. But more often the rewards are in smaller moments, like seeing a student play a piece better than in their previous lesson and you can hear their practice pay off. Or when they finally understand a concept they’ve been puzzled by. You can usually see an instant spark in their eyes, like the light bulb moment, and its incredibly rewarding as a teacher to see that happen.
I think the human connection is one of the most rewarding aspects of performing. Live music brings people together in the best way. People are gathering with friends and also people are inevitably going to meet. It doesn’t need to be a huge concert either. Some of the best connections can be made at the smallest of shows. Of course, as a performer, an applause always feels rewarding but it only lasts a moment. The people you meet and the connections and friendships that can be formed are more lasting.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think there are a couple things people can do to support art and artists. The first stems from my personal perspective of promoting my studio through paper flyers. If you are a local business owner, please consider allowing small businesses and local artists to promote their projects somewhere in your shop. Having a community board is a small gesture that can go a long way. If you own a cafe, bar, or restaurant and you wanted to take it a step further than consider allowing your place of business to host live events. The more performing spaces the better!
And to everyone else, simply show up for your your friends, family, and colleagues if they invite you to see them play. Just showing up can mean everything to a performer. This goes out to musicians too! Support other musicians. Go see their show! I know it may be a long drive but it’ll mean the world to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kemmstudios.mymusicstaff.com
- Instagram: @kemm.studios
- Facebook: Kemm Studios
- Youtube: @tristankemm
- Other: https://linktr.ee/tristankemm
