Emily Wheeler Instructor of Music

Emily Christiansen Wheeler is an American guitarist and composer who got her professional start in the Rocky Mountains before living and working in Ohio.  She relocated to the plains of West Texas to accept a teaching position at South Plains College in the early 2000s.

                  Wheeler began teaching at the collegiate level at age nineteen and has since been heavily involved developing guitar curriculum at various institutions.  She has taught guitar and jazz-related courses at Utah State University, Bowling Green State University, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Christian University and South Plains College. 

Mel Bay’s Teaching Sessions published articles written by Wheeler related to the pedagogical topics of layered teaching in the classroom and jazz guitar performance.

Wheeler has written, performed and produced various albums, including her most recent, Into More, with her jazz-influenced quintet, Cider Wave. As a performer, Wheeler has been featured in various concerts and festivals around the country, including the Las Cruces Jazz and Blues Series and the Sapulpa Jazz Festival. 

As a faculty member in the SPC Commercial Music Program, Wheeler is the Director of Guitar Studies, Director of Music Theory and Ear Training, coaches jazz ensembles, and teaches Songwriting.