About Phil

Phil Circle is a veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist, award-winning music coach, and writer. Critical acclaim for his work runs all the way back to his 1990s debut album, when his work was said to "defy rock-blues and jazz" and was called "from the master class." In 2017, Chicago Music Guide said, "What makes Circle one of the few 'professional indie musicians' is not only his tenacity, but his inherent fluidity with performing, and a Zen-like understanding of what it means to be a songwriter." 

Phil has been a music writer throughout his career as well, and in 2017, this culminated in a book about his journey. Having just passed 50 years of age, he called it his memoir-so-far. Beat Media (UK) raved "it's impossible not to be swept up in Phil's current of passion" when reading his book, calling it "a celebration of what it means to be human." Readers' Favorite declared his story "a message everybody needs to hear" and Chicago Music Guide compared it to "a Jack Kerouac or Hunter S. Thompson novel, full of grit and realism." His book also won him a Readers' Choice Award for Non-Fiction. 

Phil Circle's absolute dedication to the students he's served for almost as long as he's been a working professional has also won him accolades. Phil Circle Music has been repeatedly listed among the Top Music Schools in Chicago (5 Years in a Row) and Los Angeles.

Now a resident of Los Angeles, this native Chicagoan partnered with two teachers from his Chicago school, guaranteeing that his approach to music coaching for adults will continue to benefit aspiring and working musicians, wherever they are, for years to come.

Phil says, "It's a pretty simple thing, being an artist. You express yourself truthfully, then edit accordingly. But if you don't have the necessary tools, you can find all your creative ideas trapped in your head and heart with no way out. Second only to being on the stage and bonding with an audience, for me, is seeing students break through into the world they create for themselves as musical artists. It's really an extraordinary way to live. And everyone deserves a crack at it."