Are you the parent of a homeschool child?
Are you looking to give your child an excellent music education?
Would you like your child to learn in a way that is fun and ensures consistent progress?
If you said yes, you’re going to love the Children’s Guitar Program at The Olympia School of Guitar. I have designed this program to help your child become a well-rounded musician and excellent guitar player.
Here are some of the benefits of a guitar education:
- Playing music develops spatial reasoning
- Improves test scores
- Increases coordination
- Students learn pattern recognition
- Develop a sense of achievement
- Better SAT scores
- Children stay engaged in school
- Higher IQ
- Students learn discipline and patience
- Better test scores
- Mastery of memorization
- Music is a great way to relax and destress
- Children can learn teamwork
- Music is a lifelong gift you can give to your child
- Music carries far less risk than contact sports
- A great place to make friends
- Guitar is quieter than most instruments and is easily transported
- Playing music has been shown to use the entire brain, which is why it is so beneficial to a child’s education
- It’s fun!
5 Big Mistakes Parents Make When Choosing A Music Instructor
1. Choosing based on location (convenience)
I’m a parent, and I realize convenience is sometimes a big factor in determining where to enroll your child in activities, however, it is sometimes a mistake to choose convenience over quality. Choosing a guitar instructor based solely on convenience is one of those times. A bad guitar instructor will likely result in frustration and failure.
2. Choosing based on the lowest price (this program is not the cheapest in town)
Finances are always an important consideration when enrolling your child in any program. This is why I recommend parents do not enroll their child in lessons if it is going to cause a strain on finances. Tuition for the Children’s Guitar Program starts at $177 per month (that’s only $25 per hour of instruction). If that is expensive for you, there are other guitar teachers who are more affordable and I would be happy to refer you to one of them.
3. Choosing an instrument the child does not enjoy
If your child does not want to learn how to play guitar, I recommend having them learn the instrument they want to play. In my experience, the best students are motivated by their own desire to learn guitar. That motivation needs to come from within the child, not be forced upon them.
4. Choosing an instructor who “teaches all styles”
Many guitar teachers offer lessons for “all styles” of music, however, this most likely means they are not an expert in any of those styles. If you want to learn classical guitar, the best person to learn from is someone who has mastered that style (or at least specializes in it). Choose an instructor who specializes in the style you want to learn and you’ll get better results.
5. Choosing an instructor who will come to your home
In home instruction is very convenient, however, it is almost always a poor choice for music instruction. The home environment offers too many opportunities for distraction for the child. Lack of focus during lessons will result in poor results, which is one reason I do not offer in home guitar lessons.
By choosing the Children’s Guitar Program at The Olympia School of Guitar, you will avoid making all of these mistakes and ensure your child receives an excellent education.
What will my child learn?
1. Proper playing technique
2. How to read music
3. How to practice effectively outside of lessons
4. Music terminology
5. Comprehensive music literacy
6. Carefully chosen repertoire
7. How to play music with others
8. How to prepare for a performance
What kind of lessons are included in the program include?
1. Five Week Introductory Course (One on One)
The five week introductory course allows the student to learn the fundamentals skills, begin a good practice routine, get accustomed to the structure of lessons, and help me understand how to best place the student in a group. These lessons are all taught in a one on one format with the student moving into a small group at the completion of the 5 week course.
2. A minimum of one weekly 45 minute group Guitar Skills Class (more than one per week is encouraged)
The guitar skills class is the heart of learning guitar. Instead of focusing on individual songs, the Guitar Skills Class focuses on the seven fundamentals of playing guitar. By focusing on these skill areas, the student will progress at a faster rate compared to simply learning how to play individual songs. In short, the skills class focuses on developing the tools the student needs to play anything they want.
What are the expectations of this program?
This program is not for everyone as expectations are very high. The goal of the Children’s Guitar Program at The Olympia School of Guitar is to create competent musicians of a high calibre, not merely guitarists who can strum a few chords and play songs.
- Children should be dedicated to practicing every day for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the age of the student.
- Parental involvement is absolutely necessary. You should plan to attend at least one lesson per week with your child. Children are almost always more successful when their parents are deeply involved in their music education.
- Playing music is fun, but there is also work involved. Children will be expected to put forth effort in order learn how to properly play guitar. While we will have fun, there will be challenged and difficulties that must be overcome by hard work. Developing the tenacity to persevere through these difficulties will serve your child in all areas of life.
- You need a good quality instrument. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars on an instrument, but a cheap guitar will make learning and playing unnecessarily difficult and unenjoyable. I can recommend several quality guitars to choose from depending height of your child.
- Long term commitment. If there is any thought of enrolling for a time frame of less than one year, please do not apply. Playing guitar is akin to learning a foreign language – it takes commitment and time. For students to reach their maximum potential, they should be enrolled in lessons for years, not months.
Apply today to enroll your child in the Children’s Guitar Program at The Olympia School of Guitar.
Here’s what you need to do to apply:
1. Complete the form below.
2. After you submit the form, I will call you within 24-48 hours (I reserve weekends for my kids, so if you fill out the form on Saturday, I will call you on Monday).