My student Wesley and I have been having fun this past month filming songs and commercials for a make-believe TV show. It’s been an awesome motivator for practicing songs. Here’s his first segment: Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.” Yep, he chose the song.
Heroes
We all need heroes: People who inspire us to realize our full potential and to do the hard work of being good. People to imagine when making tough decisions, and ask, “What would _______ do?” I just found a new hero.
PolyTune Rocks
I usually don’t plug products, but the just-released PolyTune app for the iPhone is amazing. You strum the open strings on your guitar, and the six pairs of dots—one for each string—show which strings are out of tune. Instead of going through each string one-by-one, you can see immediately where the problem is. In the image at right, the 4th …
Metallica Interview
One of my students is playing “Sad But True” by Metallica at the upcoming Coffee Shop Jam, and he’s made an unfortunate choice for a vocalist: Me. I’ve been singing along with Metallica videos to try to get this John Denver voice to rock a little harder, and I came across this excellent Fresh Air interview with Metallica’s lead singer …
Should I teach "Highway to Hell" to a 10-year-old?
My position: I believe that as a teacher, I’m responsible for teaching both knowledge and character: How to finger tap, and also, usually in more subtle ways, how to be a kind person. And there are definitely some songs with offensive or “adult” lyrics that I would never teach a child. But I don’t think “Highway to Hell” is inappropriate. …
Coffee Shop Jam Nostalgia
Six weeks until the Coffee Shop Jam! As my students’ rowdy recital approaches, I find myself watching video footage from past jams, reliving the exciting memories. One video I return to, not just now but whenever i need a boost, is Emma’s performance of her song “Snow Day.” I tell the story of helping Emma write this song in the …
Connor’s Album "Too Small" On Sale Now
Those of you who’ve frequented my blog over the years probably remember my student Connor, the 10-year-old AC/DC fanatic who writes hard rock songs about American history and his guinea pig, Spikey. I’m happy to announce that after two years of work, his EP “Too Small” is now available for sale at CreateSpace.com. You can also buy it at Amazon.com, …
We Have eBook Liftoff
Yesterday I launched Rob’s Totally Awesome Guitar Teaching Handbook, my guide for running a successful guitar teaching business. It’s been two years in the making. I summed up my feelings in the Conclusion, written during yesterday’s marathon of last-minute writing, editing, and battling Microsoft Word: “If teaching guitar is about spreading joy, writing this book has been like collecting joy …
Teaching About Teaching
I’m spending the morning revising Rob’s Totally Awesome Guitar Teaching Handbook, still on track for an October 3 release. Writing a first draft can be a slog, but I love revising. I just turned a terrible paragraph in the book—my introduction to my Teaching 101 chapter—into one of favorites: Old: Teaching is a complex art, and it takes a lot …
