Johnny Culwell is classical guitarist, educator, and scholar of music literacy pedagogy for classical guitarists, an underexplored yet increasingly vital field, with a focus on integrating aural skills and instrumental sight-reading. He was named a Kenan Excellence Scholar at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the university’s most prestigious scholarship, providing full tuition, room, and board for all four years of study, and is a winner of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music Concerto Competition, the only guitarist to do so in recent years. He has also been a featured artist nationally and internationally, having performed chamber concerts in Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, and New York City with the Giannini String Quartet and clarinetist, Dr. Oskar Espina-Ruiz.

At Anderson University, where he directs the classical guitar studies, Culwell combines visionary teaching with practical mentorship. He instructs students across music education, worship leadership, musical theatre, and commercial music, tailoring guidance to professional goals, while fostering cross-training in classical and jazz styles. Culwell actively invites students from diverse backgrounds—including local high school guitarists enrolled in dual credit courses—to join the AU Guitar Ensemble, which performs throughout South Carolina. These performances not only provide students with leadership opportunities but also inspire the next generation of guitarists in schools and communities statewide.

Culwell is the founder and director of the Anderson Guitar Society, a dynamic hub connecting students, local teachers, alumni, and enthusiasts. Members perform in AU’s Daniel Recital Hall, participate in masterclasses, and collaborate with prominent guest artists. His teaching emphasizes direct application of music theory to instrumental practice, a philosophy shaped by his experience as an Aural Skills teaching assistant at the University of Georgia, where he served as instructor of record for all levels of the sequence. He also developed and taught Melody Harmonization, a course for music therapy students focused on melodic harmonization and improvisation on guitar, earning the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, a recognition reserved for a select group of graduate instructors each year. His research translates sight-singing and ear-training pedagogy into innovative strategies for guitar sight-reading and fretboard harmony, addressing challenges that have long limited guitarists’ literacy and technical development.

Equally accomplished as a performer, Culwell is an avid chamber musician who regularly performs throughout the region and collaborates closely with colleagues at Anderson University. He cultivates artistry through both performance and pedagogy, inspiring students by modeling excellence, fostering community engagement, and demonstrating the transformative power of music education.