by Glen McCarthy | Jan 19, 2014 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
We’ve stumbled on a little piece of business that may cause some of your students’ eyes to widen: nail shaping. Yes, that’s what helps you achieve optimal tone when playing finger-style. (And remember: finger-style playing isn’t just for...
by Glen McCarthy | Jan 14, 2014 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
When you feel like you’ve just delivered the lesson to end all lessons and you’re met with blank stares — some not even directly at you — it’s hard not to take it personally. The same music that got you hooked on music is not necessarily...
by Glen McCarthy | Jan 12, 2014 | Classroom, Education, News, Stories, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
Mute strumming is very effective for teaching various rhythmic strums. I don’t think we spend enough time working on right hand strumming because we are so concerned about left hand notes. Isolating the right hand helps the students advance in their ability to keep a...
by Glen McCarthy | Dec 29, 2013 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Stories, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
The Pentatonic Scale allows students to really stretch out and have fun with the guitar. But how do you teach it? Try this: Preliminary ear training experiences: 1. If keyboards are available have the students noodle on the black notes, perhaps one on the bass and one...
by Glen McCarthy | Dec 22, 2013 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Stories, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
I went to Wikipedia to see what they say and can’t improve on the following: “The capo is most commonly used to raise the pitch of a fretted instrument so that a player can perform a piece in a different key using the same fingerings they would use if played...
by Glen McCarthy | Dec 15, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
Teachers worry about keeping a class interesting. But when you have a guitar class for a 90 minute block, you need great content! First, think about the possibilities using the National Standards as an outline. Think, “What will my students do today that includes:...
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