The school year is about to kick off. The kids are ready to rock, and you’re on the starting blocks, rested, relaxed, and ready to change the world one music class at a time. But even everyday heroes need strategies to maintain their super powers during the school year, so I put together three tips […]
Year: 2017
Celebrate the Solar Eclipse with Two Terrifying Intervals on Guitar
Throughout human history, a solar eclipse was a harbinger of terror. Early civilizations believed the gods were angry, and the world would soon end after a solar eclipse. For today’s guitar lesson, we’re going to capture the horror and terror solar eclipses wrought on early civilizations in sound. The Minor Second Interval If you’ve ever […]
Rock Soloing 101: Chuck Berry Style Guitar Lick
In this lesson, you’ll learn one easy guitar lick for kids in the style of legendary rock guitarist Chuck Berry. At the end of this series of rock soloing lessons for kids, I’ll show you how to combine these licks to create compelling guitar solos. What in the World is a Guitar Solo? Let’s be honest: […]
Interstellar Overdrive – For Group Guitar Classes & Private Lessons
In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to play all four guitar parts of Interstellar Overdrive. If you’re a guitar instructor interested in leveraging your time and reaching more students teaching group guitar classes for kids, this lesson is perfect for you! Interstellar Overdrive: A Group Guitar Study for Kids Interstellar Overdrive features a simple […]
Rock’s Secret Super Power: The A Minor Pentatonic Scale
Just like every superhero needs a super power to beat up the bad guys, every guitar player needs a musical scale to belt out rockin’ riffs! The minor pentatonic scale is the secret super power of rock ‘n’ roll! The A Minor Pentatonic Scale Consisting of just five tones (A, C, D, E, & G), […]
3 Weird Tricks for Unleashing Your Creative Genius
Creativity is a lens through which the every day holds within the spark of magic. Like a conjurer’s incantation, creativity transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a magician—or a genius—to be inventive because the spark of creative genius is inside of you right now. These three weird tricks will help […]
Three Flow Principles for Teaching Effortless Group Guitar Classes
Imagine for a moment you’re teaching a room full of guitar students paying rapt attention to your every word. The students are buzzing with curiosity and enthusiasm, and joy is clearly written in the smiles on their face. You lose yourself in the moment, and time melts away. That state of consciousness is known as […]
Zombie Boy Wednesday Guitar Joke
Three Kickass Values Music Teachers Can Borrow From Karate
In the summer of 2014, Zoe canceled her third guitar lesson that month volunteering to dust her karate studio when I realized martial arts was doing something I should know about. Like so many music teachers, I struggled with last minute cancellations, no-shows, and a reliable system for rewarding […]
Guitar for Kids: Learn a Riff So Awesome It’s Terrifying!
In this lesson,15-year old Luke is going to teach you the infamous guitar riff from Halloween Thing. What’s a Riff Anyways? Riffs are the short musical phrases that keep you coming back again and again to your favorite songs. From Suzie Q to Seven Nation Army, a great riff can grab you by the tail and pull you all […]
