After travelling and performing for audiences worldwide, a Bay of Plenty-born guitarist has returned and wants to give back to his community.

Joshua Rogers was born in Tōrere, Opotiki; he went to boarding school at Lindisfarne College, where he learned to play the classical guitar.

Playing the guitar was in Rogers’ genetics; his dad and many of his family members played.

While in school he was taught by guitar teacher Peter Thwaites who he spent a lot of time with during school hours – which his teachers weren’t particularly thrilled about.

After school, he went to Victoria University to study classical guitar.

Joshua Rogers, 50, with his guitar collection in his exclusive private studio. Photo / David Hall

He has been in many bands and taught at several different schools around the Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, Edgecumbe, Kawerau, Ōpotiki and Whakatāne.

In 2005, Rogers went overseas and has been performing internationally ever since.

He toured the Middle East, Asia, and Europe and even performed at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix in 2013.

“We shared billing with Rihanna, The Killers and Big Band.”

Some of his gigs involved performing a duet with his wife or in a band at five-star luxury resorts and hotels.

“It was cool to just cruise around and turn up at these beautiful hotels and get treated really well.

“When we went to China, they sent this BMW limousine to pick us up.

“The work was pretty easy to be honest.”

Rogers said his travels changed his approach to music and teaching.

“It made me a lot more open-minded about different styles of music.

“When you go to countries like China, Japan or the UAE, you should play some of their music. It’s just a respect thing.

“We learnt songs in Arabic, Indonesian, Chinese, French and Spanish.”

In 2015, he started a YouTube channel that has since gained 64,000 subscribers and more than 12,000,000 views worldwide.

After many years of experience performing around the world, Rogers decided to return to Tauranga and set up an online beginners’ guitar course called The NBN Guitar: Essentials Primer for Beginners.

Joshua Rogers, 50, is the creator of NBN Guitar, the online course for beginner guitarists. Photo / David Hall

“They can expect to learn all the basics of guitar playing, how to hold a guitar, how to play a few basic chords, how to sit properly, how to move your fingers properly, how to read basic music …” Rogers’ list went on.

He filmed and recorded the course in a professional classical music recording studio in South Korea earlier this year.

It took three days of filming, two months of editing and six months to update their website.

In August, the course was ready for the first trial. Rogers gave the course, free of charge, to several schools in the Bay of Plenty, including Te Kura O Te Whanau-A-Apanui and Tōrere Kura.

Rogers has received a lot of positive feedback on his course from teachers and students, including some tips to improve the course and make the website easier to use.

“I’m just so passionate about the guitar and I want a lot of people to have access to learning.”

Rogers aims to get his course into every school in the Bay of Plenty and eventually all around New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

He said his niece helped Rogers create a version translated into te reo Māori and hopes to do the same for the Pacific languages so that it can be used throughout the Pacific.

Eventually, he hopes to create intermediate and advanced courses for different types of guitars and music.

After putting so much effort into online courses, Rogers realised he also wanted to get back into one-on-one private lessons at his exclusive private studio for 20 students on a weekly basis here in Tauranga.

He wanted to do something for the local community instead of through a digital medium. That way, he can impart his expert knowledge to the up-and-coming guitarists in the community.

For more information about The NBN Guitar visit www.nbnguitar.com, for information on private lessons visit www.nbnguitar.com/private-guitar-lessons, and visit his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@nbnguitar.Plenty-born