Rock Dojo Student of the Month | October 2019

 
At the Rock Dojo, we love to reward our students’ hard work, positive attitude, and musical progress on the guitar. Whether they’re helping other students during the Rock Dojo after-school group guitar classes in Portland, OR, or meticulously tracking their progress in the practice room, our students of the month have excelled in the classroom and the practice room setting positive examples as role models and team players for the classmates.
 

Student of the Month Criteria

Academic Criteria:

  • The student comes to his/her after-school classes, private guitar lessons, or group guitar classes prepared and ready to learn.
  • The student exhibits a strong command of the musical concepts being taught in class as demonstrated by earning at least two-stripes on his/her Rock Dojo colored guitar strap.
  • The student is working to his/her full potential.

Leadership & Teamwork Criteria:

  • The student is a positive role model.
  • The student helps his/her classmates during the Rock Dojo after-school group guitar classes or at home.
  • The student has a positive attitude, follows directions, and demonstrates a strong character.
 

Meet the Students of the Month | September 2019

 
Congratulations to Julian, the Rock Dojo students of the month! Over the course of five private guitar lessons, nine-year-old Julian learned:
 
  • The name of the guitar strings.
  • Two-finger exercises.
  • The minor pentatonic scale.
  • Open power chords.
  • How to read guitar tab.

In fact, once he learned to read the guitar tab, Julian learned two or three new songs on his own each week including “The Peter Gunn Theme,” “Brain Stew, and “Smoke on the Water.” As teachers, we were so proud when we discovered Julian learned to play Happy Birthday on his own and performed it on his dad’s birthday!

It’s a perfect example of empowering students through musical literacy. At the beginning of each quarter, we tell students about the parable teach a man to fish: “Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for the rest of his life.”
 
Learning how to read guitar tab is like learning how to fish. Once students know how to read guitar tab, they can learn any song at any time just like the parable: Teach a man to fish.
 
When asked what he likes most about playing the guitar, 9-year-old Julian says, “I always wanted to learn to play the guitar.”
 
His favorite song so far is “Another One Bites the Dust.” 

Julian earned three-stripes on his yellow belt, which means he’s just one stripe away from a green belt.

“If I earned a black belt,” Julian says, “I would help other kids learn to play the guitar.”
 
 
Your kid can get a black belt in rock, too!
 

SIGN YOUR KIDS UP FOR AFTER-SCHOOL GUITAR

Sign up for Rock Dojo after-school guitar lessons today. Want to learn more? Check out Rock Dojo’s FAQs and learn how our colored-belt systems works (here’s a hint: it’s like karate and you graduate with a black belt). Do you have a specific question about our guitar lessons for kids? Drop us a line at (503) 484-6417.