Craft your sonic world. I work with artists, visionary founders, and cultural builders to create custom-crafted sonic worlds: original music, sound identities, and long-form compositions that embody a deeper creative vision.
Develop your musical craft. Music Lessons are a 1:1 space for people who want to grow their musicianship while staying connected to intuition, integrity, and expression.
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BESPOKE SONIC WORLDS
Craft your sonic world.
I work with artists, visionary founders, and cultural builders to craft bespoke sonic worlds — original music, sound identities, and long-form compositions that embody a deeper creative vision.
I approach this work as sonic worldbuilding: creating a living sound language that carries meaning, memory, and values over time. Sound that humanizes, gathers, and supports shared presence.
Drawing from practices of contemplative listening, music for transition and threshold, and the deep roots of rhythm across cultures, I help shape sound that feels alive. Sound oriented toward presence over noise, coherence over trend, and connection over distraction.
If you’re building something meant to last — a project, a company, a community — sound matters more than you think.
WHAT THIS CAN SUPPORT
Podcasts, courses, and long-form audio experiences
Meditation, somatic, or therapeutic practices
Brands and platforms seeking a coherent sonic identity
Creative projects that value continuity, presence, and resonance
Each project is shaped to meet its specific use and audience.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Every collaboration is unique, and may include:
One original sonic composition that serves as your core sonic identity
Variations or extensions for different contexts or durations, while maintaining a cohesive sonic identity
Thoughtful integration with voice, silence, and pacing
You own the rights to use the work within your platform and offerings.
INVESTMENT
Projects typically range from $2,000-$4,000, depending on scope and duration.
Ongoing or extended collaborations are discussed case by case.
IS THIS FOR YOU?
This work is for people who:
Want a sonic identity that feels intentional
Are attentive to how sound shapes attention, emotion, and nervous system state
Value craft, subtlety, and long-term coherence
Are drawn to work made with care, depth, and integrity
LISTEN
Thought To Thing Podcast
Creative Living App
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"Working with Stu has genuinely changed the game for me. He gave both my podcast and my membership a sonic world that people actually remember. We've built an entire archive of original music for meditations and soundscapes together, and I can confidently say my membership would not feel the way it does without his work. The creative process is seamless: clear, collaborative, and SO attuned. He listens to your vision, honors your preferences, and then elevates them with his own expertise in a way that feels both grounding and expansive. He's my sound guy forever and I wholeheartedly recommend him as yours."— MAIA BENAIM Founder – Expansion Mastermind · Founder – Blank Page Lab · Co-Founder – Creative Living
NEXT STEP
If this resonates, you're invited to schedule a discovery call.
Music Lessons are a 1:1 space for people who want to grow their musicianship while staying connected to intuition, integrity, and expression.
AREAS OF FOCUS
Musical craft and theory
Instrumental technique and fluency
Building a personal repertoire or songbook
Deep listening and ear training
Improvisation and songwriting
Music and recording technology
WHO THIS IS FOR
My primary instrument is the guitar. I also work with ukulele, voice, and music technology. Students of all ages and skill levels are welcome.
INVESTMENT
$100 per hour session. Packages, sliding scale, and alternate payment options available upon request.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"I had such a good experience taking guitar lessons with Stu. He was awesome from day one. Not only did we learn some bucket list songs I've always wanted to know, he gave me some etudes to work on which really improved my guitar playing. We would then dissect the songs that we learned in terms of chord progression and structure which helped my songwriting immensely. In fact, it wasn't only his guitar lessons that impressed me. His all-around knowledge of productions tools (Ableton, etc.) along with his mixing skills helped me translate some of those song ideas into finished products."— JOHN D.
"I really enjoyed working with Stu and would 100% recommend his lessons to anyone looking to learn more about guitar and music theory. I loved all the repertoire work and the exercises he put together, and felt way more confident about my playing after we worked together. I also learned about so many interesting artists and techniques that I still return to."— SAM B.
"Stu Pender is an awesome guitar teacher! I've learned a lot about music theory and guitar technique from him, which has improved my playing immensely. He's also very flexible which works with my busy schedule. I highly recommend him if you're just starting to play or are more advanced!"— JONATHAN B.
"Stu is a such a wonderful guitar teacher! His flexible approach to lessons have made it easy to stay passionate about learning new things on the guitar. My lessons with him have taught me more than just how to play chords and scales-he's helped me truly understand the music I love on a deeper level."— SCOTT H.
NEXT STEP
If this resonates, you're invited to book a 1:1 lesson.
Being Sound is a sonic arts studio founded by Stu Pender, crafting sonic worlds for artists and cultural builders while cultivating spaces where people gather to listen, learn, and practice together.
ABOUT STU PENDER
Stu Pender, Chicago-born musician and sonic artist, weaves elements of improvisation, songwriting, and electronics into orchestrations for the guitar, voice, and laptop.
A founding member of the hip-hop collective Poetic Thrust, Stu has also worked various roles in the studio with artists Yoh, Cartoons, Topaz Jones, Carlos Niño and Laraaji. Sharing the stage with artists August Ponthier, Photay, Elijah Wolf and Maggie Rogers, he's showcased his talents as an internationally touring guitarist, at The MoMA PS1, United Nations, The Beacon Theatre, and many more.
Stu’s debut full length album, Stillness In Motion was released in 2021 on the Youngbloods label, earning acclaim from Los Angeles’ KCRW and Apple Music.
Stu graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies from SUNY Purchase in 2015. He completed a certificate training for sound in the healing arts with the New York Open Center's Sound & Integrative Music Institute in 2022.
