March 2025 Student Spotlight: Liam Testa

Our March 2025 Student Spotlight highlights an incredibly talented young guitarist and member of All-Access Rising Stars – Liam Testa. A student of Paul Tokarz, Liam hails from a musical family – his dad and brother both play – and the three have been long-time students and members of the Stages family.

Paul says of Liam “It has been great to watch him develop into a serious musician over the many years I have been teaching him.  He is an avid jam band and classic rock fan and it reflects in his playing style.  He is a very advanced improviser and can handle pretty much anything you throw at him.  I am excited to keep watching him and progress and take on new musical endeavors.”

Read on to learn more about Liam in his own words…

What do you study and why did you pick that instrument?

I started studying guitar when I was 10 because both my brother and my dad were playing guitar, and I found it really interesting, so I decided to pick it up.

Who is your teacher and what do you love about them?

My teacher is Paul, who has been my teacher for the past 5 years at Stages. I love that Paul understands my playing style, and how well he can explain topics in a way that’s easy to understand. Evan has been my instructor for Rising Stars for the past two years. He has taught me bass guitar and has helped me improve my overall performance abilities.

What kind of music do you listen to or play? Who is one of your favorite artists?

Recently, I have been listening to a lot of house music, jazz, folk, reggae, and R&B. I play mostly rock and jazz. My favorite artist recently has either been Mt. Joy or Daniel Caesar.

What has been your greatest musical challenge?

My greatest challenge playing music has been getting over the stage fright of playing in front of people. But as I’ve grown as a player, and performed more and more, it’s slowly gone away.

What’s your favorite thing about Stages or do you have a favorite Stages memory?

The instructors are the best! Even when someone subs for Paul, they are all so nice and so easy to talk to.

What are your musical goals? 

My musical goal is to be able to play guitar throughout my entire life, as consistently as I play now.

What is one of your non-music-related goals?

A goal that I have now, outside of music, is to be able to drive by the beginning of this summer.

Tell us a fun or interesting fact about yourself not related to music.

I play tennis, basketball, and I golf for fun. I’m also very interested in coffee and standup comedy.