by Glen McCarthy | Sep 15, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
One of the hardest things to do as a classroom guitar instructor with your beginning guitar players is to add new notes or chords and then jump right into a rehearsal. Those young little minds need some time to make those new connections. When I first started...
by Glen McCarthy | Sep 9, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Nothing sounds less interesting and uninspiring than a classroom full of guitarists strumming chords with the same dynamic range and timbre throughout a song. Think of musical ways for students to use left and right hand articulation to color the examples while...
by Glen McCarthy | Sep 7, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Before choosing a text book, think about the end results first. What skills should your first-year students have after one year of study? What skills should your second-year students have after two years of study? One easy way to look at this is by creating a...
by Glen McCarthy | Sep 2, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Question: What are some ides to help advanced students? What challenges can I give them? Answer: A few ideas that will help you use the advanced students to take your arrangements and class to a new level. – Let them play more complex parts over simple lines....
by Glen McCarthy | Aug 30, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
One of the most frequent questions that get asked early in the school year is, “What equipment is needed to start a guitar class?” Some school districts have what is called “standards” which is a common list that every guitar class receives when a guitar program is...
by Glen McCarthy | Aug 26, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Warm-Up The Beginners What Warm-ups do you use for your beginner guitar classes? Here are a few ideas to start you off. 1. Scales, first and foremost. 2. Finger 12 patterns on each string, then 23 etc.. 3. Bill’s geometric warm-up – check it out –...
