It’s no secret that kids love games! Kids are drawn to the reward systems games provide because positive reinforcement makes them feel good. Games also give kids a chance to team up and collaborate to solve difficult puzzles. Finally, games give kids a chance to test their skills against their classmates. Moreover, games are a […]
Author: Rock Dojo
Rock This Spring with The Major Pentatonic Scale
The F Major Pentatonic Scale Maybe it’s the sunshine or the birdsong, but there’s something ineffable about springtime compelling me to reach for the major pentatonic scale whenever it’s time to rock my guitar. While it’s cousin—the minor pentatonic scale—sounds dark and angsty, the sound of the major pentatonic scale is the stuff of springtime: […]
Summer Classes
The Place of Music in the 21st Century Education
As a music instructor, continuing education is essential for long term professional growth, which is why I enrolled in The Place of Music in the 21st Century Education available on Coursera. As such, I’ll be posting personal responses to the course’s assignments in this section of the blog. Week #1: This is an exciting time to be […]
Milo’s Creepy Fun House
Backing Track: Full Song: Pdf: Milo’s Creepy Fun House of Guitar Horror
Minor Fives to Go
In this lesson, you’ll learn a great riff built around the minor pentatonic scale on the open E-strings. For a more in depth investigation of the minor pentatonic scale, check out pages 25 – 27 of The Ultimate Rock Guitar Dojo for Kids: White Belt Edition. For the full lesson, click on the PDF Below: Minor Fives […]
Monster Mayhem
Would you like to terrify your friends with an awesome guitar riff? Well, Monster Mayhem is so cool, it’s downright horrifying! Written by a 10-year-old URGD student named Milo, Monster Mayhem combines repeating single note lines, whole step bends, and a furious power chord riff. If you’re following along with the book, The Ultimate Rock […]
Sam’s Jam: A Call & Response Riff for Beginners
Call and response is one of the easiest techniques to master on the guitar. Begin by playing a simple one bar question on the guitar then answer it with a second riff. Rinse and repeat until the royalty checks to start rolling in. Sam’s Jam, co-written by 13-year-old Nathan V., is built around a simple […]
17th Avenue Rock (A Robot Apocalypse)
Today’s riff combines the power and the fury of power chords with the E-natural minor scale on the 6th string and the imagination of a 10-year-old student named Jack who co-wrote this song. If you’re following along with the book, The Ultimate Rock Guitar Dojo for Kids: White Belt Edition, this study correlates directly to […]
Intro to Power Chords
If you want to play rock guitar, you have to master power chords. Power chords capture the rage and the fury of rock music. Furthermore, they’re easy to play on the guitar. For a more in depth investigation of power chords, check out pages 39 – 45 of The Ultimate Rock Guitar Dojo for Kids: […]