This class will vary based on the skill level of the student. Any student from complete beginner to more advanced may take lessons! One-on-one interaction with the instructor each week will ensure students will receive constant feedback on their guitar playing.  This class does not teach songs alone, but uses theory concepts and technique to back up everything your child will learn, which will make them a well-rounded guitarist who will feel comfortable playing in a variety of styles.  We encourage students to bring songs they love to class as suggestions!  We are excited to hear what your learner wants to play!

All of our guitar teachers have at least 15 years of experience and/or a degree in music. 

The first lesson will include the basics of guitar including parts of the guitar, how to properly hold and position the guitar and pick while playing, and most importantly, a tuning session, unless your learner's guitar is already tuned. Please expect this tuning time to take between 5 -15 minutes, depending on how much tuning is needed. Brand new guitars often come with loose strings, and an in-tune guitar is absolutely necessary in order for students to recognize music they are playing and have the best experience in class! Once students master the invaluable skill of how to tune, they will be able to complete this on their own at home with the help of a guitar tuner or app.

Based on skill level, some of the concepts we will cover are as follows:

-Guitar 101: parts of the guitar, how to tune, how to properly hold the guitar and pick
-Treble clef note reading
-Tablature reading
-Reading chord shapes, chord strumming and rhythm playing
-Popular guitar scales such as the blues and pentatonic scales, improvisation
-Fingerpicking style and classical guitar
-Learning popular songs of choice - students are encouraged to bring songs that they love to class, to help them stay motivated to practice! Just a few examples of the wide variety of songs that students have successfully learned in class include: 

"Ode to Joy" by Beethoven
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
"Happy Birthday"
"Old MacDonald"
"Yankee Doodle"
"Back in Black" by AC/DC
"Day Tripper" by the Beatles
"Master of Puppets" by Metallica
"Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd
"Snow (Hey Oh)" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Stand by Me" by Ben E. King
"I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift
"Ho Hey" by the Lumineers
"Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's
"Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles
"Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
"Broken Halos" by Chris Stapleton
"Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker
"Let it Go" from Frozen
"Surface Pressure" from Encanto

This is a great class to follow any group guitar lessons, for students who want to continue with individualized instruction. Or, complete beginners are welcome too! Please send us a message to request a time that would work for you!

Please read about our experienced guitar teachers below:

Alexandra Rhoads - Alexandra has been teaching music lessons for over 15 years. She earned her Master’s in Education from George Mason University in 2012 and has taught full-time as a special education teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools at the elementary and high school levels. Alexandra has been a performing musician and songwriter in the Northern Virginia area both with a band (Spectra) and as a solo artist for over 15 years. She has released two studio albums entitled “Room to Breathe” (2007) and “All This Time” (2016) in which she performed all vocal, guitar, and piano tracks, and received a Silver award in the Rock category of the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest in 2016. Additionally, she has been nominated for 3 Washington Area Music Awards. She has a background in classical, rock, pop, and blues styles on both piano and guitar.  Alexandra’s goals in teaching are to broaden her students’ knowledge of music, help them reach their full potential, and allow them to learn music that they are excited about. She is passionate about sharing her love of music with her students!

Steve Housewright - Steve Housewright has been teaching guitar and ukulele for 25 years. During that time he has taught hundreds of youth ages 5 to 17 through after school programs, in schools, libraries and privately. He has worked with several nonprofits in St. Louis and Los Angeles including the Strings Attached project, Sir Charles Blues Lab with Ray Charles and Heart of Los Angeles Youth (HOLA) in bringing music education to underserved communities.
Steve's work has been supported by numerous music education foundations including Les Paul Foundation, Fender Music Foundation, Mockingbird Foundation and as a Music Fellow with the Jubilation Foundation.  He has played guitar since the age of 6 and played professionally as a backup musician and as a studio recording artist. 

Levi Carpman - Levi Carpman is a Northern Colorado based musician, educator, and producer. He attended the University of Northern Colorado where he received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. Levi has been teaching since 2019 in a variety of settings ranging from private lessons to directing a state finalist marching band percussion section. He has experience with a variety of genres, allowing lessons to be tailored around the interests of the student, and his main goal is always to help students find the joy in music.