Who can take guitar/ukulele lessons? 

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We offer guitar lessons to students of all ages and levels, ranging from young beginner (4-5 yrs old) to adult students. Private guitar lessons are customized to the individual needs and preferences of the students. The curriculum differs from student to student and it considers age, developmental stage, previous experience, and goals. We also offer adaptive guitar lessons, taught by board-certified music therapists! 

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What are adaptive guitar lessons? 

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Adaptive guitar lessons are offered to students with mental health needs and/or developmental and learning disabilities. Although instrumental private music lessons are customizable in nature, adaptive music lessons take into consideration the student's health diagnosis. Adaptive lessons are led by a music therapist with a background in psychology and neuroscience. During adaptive guitar lessons, the music therapist considers each student's unique set of skills and limitations and determines what accommodations will be needed for the student to succeed. The music therapist takes a creative approach to overcome challenges with the student. Examples of accommodations made during adaptive lessons might include: physically modifying an instrument, using multimodal means of learning (kinesthetic, visual, aural), enlarging sheet music for students with vision impairment, modifying the pacing of the lessons to allow the student enough time to succeed, etc. 

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If you're wondering whether your child or you would benefit from adaptive guitar lessons, read more on our music therapy page

 

What teaching methods do we use? 

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Our teachers are familiar with a variety of pedagogical methods that take into account each student's learning style and potential. We want the learning experience to be rewarding and fruitful. Our teaching style is child-centered, meaning that our teachers are willing to work around the student's musical goals and objectives. The students have a sense of agency in their own learning, which empowers them and allows them to build positive experiences with music and to become successful musicians.  Additionally, our teachers have an eclectic teaching style, meaning that they borrow the best aspects from a variety of methods, as opposed to blindly following a single method with all of its flaws.

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Needless to say, we take a hands-on approach to teaching music (because what better way is there to do it?!) This means the teacher models the technique and sound they want the student to attain and the student gets to try it out and make modifications during the lesson. The teacher provides verbal feedback, but we believe in the importance of playing music to learn music! 

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What will I/my child learn during a guitar lesson? ​

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During a guitar lesson, students will become familiar with how to hold a guitar correctly, in addition to strumming, finger picking, reading lead sheets, reading guitar tabs and fretboard diagrams, playing chords, and reading sheet music. Furthermore, each lesson covers a variety of musical elements, such as note-reading, sight-reading, rhythm training, music theory, music history, and performance readiness.

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Musical genres covered during guitar lessons vary. The teacher takes into account the student's objectives and goals for learning guitar. Ideally, we want our students to be comfortable with a variety of genres, such as: classical, folk music, pop music and rock. Students learn music by a variety of classical composers such as Giuliani, Tarrega, Carulli, and Bach while also playing guitar arrangements of more popular music by current musicians such as Olivia Rodrigo, Adele, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran, or popular rock bands such as Green Day, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Script, and many more. 

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​Do I need an instrument at home? 

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Ideally, yes! There is only so much the teacher can do during a weekly guitar lesson. The greatest growth happens when the student practices from lesson to lesson. This is the time during which they put into effect what they learned during the lesson. Without practice time, the lessons can become very repetitive and stagnant. We want the children to have positive experiences with music and to be challenged to come close to their fullest potential! 

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We are more than happy to help you find an instrument that fits your budget. One can very often find used instruments that are being sold or even given away for free. Please communicate with our professional team and we will assist you in finding an instrument. 

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