Guitar Lessons for Kids to Adults, Playing, Gear and Semi-Pro Gigging

Bass Guitar Lessons
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Guitar Alliance

Originally published here.

One program for teaching guitar to kids that I can endorse wholeheartedly is the ChildBloom Guitar Program created by guitarist, composer, arranger and conductor Kevin Taylor of Austin, Texas. This program is franchised around the country, but only to very carefully chosen and highly qualified teachers. Twenty States now have ChildBloom programs (click here to find them). The teachers undergo extensive training to learn the ChildBloom method, which Kevin developed after realizing that he couldn't use the same techniques with kids that he used with older students. Kevin continues to write and arrange new music for the program. This is a classical guitar program, and the students learn to read music early on. It is wonderful to watch and listen as young children develop facility on the guitar and a deep appreciation for music through this program.



Why do I know so much about it? My older son started playing at about age 6 1/2. He stayed in the ChildBloom program until he had gone through its curriculum, and now plays with the same teacher, Kirk Hanser, as he gets ready to start his sophomore year in High School. The material my son is playing now is the same material many students take on as college freshman guitar majors. The group of kids he performs with is a terrific group, and they constitute St. Louis Bella Corda. Kevin Taylor has a Bella Corda ensemble of advanced players in Austin, also. Go hear them if you live in the area (St. Louis or Austin or anywhere a Bella Corda can be found).



Kevin Taylor is a master motivator and an outstanding conductor. His master classes are a great thrill for the kids in the cities he visits. We have been lucky to have him visit St. Louis many times, including visits to the Mid-America Guitar Camp as a conductor and instructor. We were also lucky to visit him and his group in Austin for the 25th anniversary concerts. Those Austin rehearsals and performances led to many great freindships for my son and me.



By the way, if the idea of classical guitar makes you look cross-eyed, you might want to look again. The music played by classical guitarists encompases the whole of Western Music, including folk tunes from many countries and continents, the blues, thrilling Spanish compositions, and much more. My son's teacher is well known for his recordings of South American music as a member of the Hanser-McClellan Duo. The kids really take to the music that ChildBloom provides. Furthermore, my son moved right into the jazz big band at school, starting in 7th grade, and his ability to read music was certainly valuable. He also plays rock & roll, and plays a lot by ear, transcribing jazz solos and learning classic rock and modern rock on his own. In fact, having grown up in an era when little instructional material was available for guitar, I was excited to provide my son with lots of instructional DVDs for rock & roll, blues, slide guitar, etc. But,... my son wouldn't pay any attention to this instructional stuff... he just learned the electric guitar music he wanted to, by ear, and didn't need any help (I'm the one who needs the help.) Reading music certainly didn't interfere with his ability to learn by ear, but it does give him access to an even wider range of genres and styles.



So, if you have a child with an interest in music, the ChildBloom method is a great way to get him or her started. If you want to get your child involved in music, which I highly recommend, ChildBloom is an excellent doorway to a lifetime of music. The program specializes in kids aged 5-12 (see frequently asked questions here).



This is an uncompensated endorsement.



Copyright © 2008, James K. Bashkin

tags: performance, youth guitar, music, guitar, st louis, childbloom guitar program, kirk hanser, classical guitar, guitar lessons, music for children, music instruction for children, child development

I just returned from spending Friday evening through late Saturday night at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society's (CAAS) 24th annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. I had never before visited this iconic city, home to the Grand Ole Opry (http://www.opry.com/) and so much country music, (regular, super, unleaded, and outlaw). I wish I had been able to attend the whole event, which started on Wednesday at noon. It was a great experience, nonetheless. Among the terrific guitarists and other musicians I was able to hear were the marvelous Guy Van Duser; the multi-talented Jim, Morning and John Nichols, equally at home on jazz and country music; the brilliant Muriel Anderson playing "Nola" with the Endless Road String Quartet (made up of members of the Lexington KY Philharmonic); Kirk Hanser and John McClellan (the Hanser-McClellan Duo, America's premier guitar duo); Celtic guitar master Tony McManus; and jazz virtuoso Frank Vignola with his great band. I also heard plenty of other terrific players on the main stage, on stage 2, in the vendor rooms, at open mike sessions, and jamming in the corridors and lobby of the hotel where the events took place. I saw Italian fingerstyle star Daniele Bazzani, whom I had heard perform Wednesday night at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis. I missed Daniele's Nashville performance, but was able to chat with him and pick up his two CDs. The Wednesday performance by Daniele, at one of America's great concert halls, also featured outstanding sets by the Hanser-McClellan Duo and St. Louis Bella Corda (see below).

In addition to the all-stars I've mentioned and many other top professionals, there were a number of up-and-coming, or already arrived, teenage players, including Bryan Browne (15) and Joe Robinson (17) of Australia (who just won "Australia's Got Talent," yes, the whole thing!, playing Tommy Emmanuel's arrangement of Classical Gas by Mason Williams), Ben Hall (19, 1st place National Thumbpicker, 2005) Ben Owens (19, whose first CD is Never Alone), and St. Louis Bella Corda, a classical guitar ensemble represented by six high-school guitarists, a Webster University student and their leader, Kirk Hanser (http://www.kirkhanser.com). John McClellan was kind enough to step in for two pieces because one of the Bella Corda members couldn't make the trip the Nashville. Hearing the young performers was a joy for the crowd, who were thrilled by the pyrotechnics of the young Australians but were also moved to extremes by the beautiful playing of Bella Corda: one audience member was overheard saying she wanted to cry after Bella Corda's beautiful quartet rendition of Leo Brouwer's Cuban Landscape with Rain, for 4 guitars (Paisaje Cubano con Lluvia). For full disclosure, I have to say that my older son is a member of Bella Corda and played in the quartet. Finally, I could say "I'm with the band" and really mean it.

Being with the band gave us, along with all the performers and their guests, reserved seats in the front few rows of the large hall for the closing Tribute to Chet Atkins. Many of the performers reappeared, some for one piece, some for several. It was a great evening that went from 8 pm until 11:30. Mark Pritcher, President of CAAS, and his staff are to be congratulated for great organization, great music, and a feeling of warm welcome that was extended to newcomers as well as old friends. I recommend this event to all who love fingerstyle guitar, Chet Atkins and great music.

It is often said that guitars are instruments for guys. However, this is only said by people who don't know what they're talking about. In honor of women guitar players, I'll give capsule summaries about a few of my favorites here. This list is not comprehensive by any means, and the order is random. I'll add more on the subject at a later time.

Joni Mitchell. A master of altered tunings, hero of the singer-songwriter world, and simply a brilliant musician, Mitchell's folk music was never limited by stock song forms or harmonies. Live, her concerts included improvisation with jazz great Jaco Pastorius. Mitchell has also let jazz come to the forefront on a number of albums, winning a Grammy for "best jazz vocal album" (2001) to go along with "Female Vocalist of the Year" in 1976. Her playing is a wonder to hear, and her vocals are just as outstanding. Check out Mingus, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Court and Spark, Ladies of the Canyon and all the rest. Herbie Hancock received a Grammy for his interpretations of Joni's music on the new CD, River: the joni letters. Oh, and she paints, too!

Rory Block. Fingerstyle blues specialist Rory Block helps keep traditional Delta blues alive, and writes modern blues tunes of her own. A powerful performer, she is also captured well in the recording studio and has won 5 W C Handy awards for top blues albums. I have a number of signed CD's from a concert at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis. Check out compilation Best Blues and Originals, live album Mama's Blues and all of the others. Block has also provided a number of instructional DVDs on Delta blues, including two on the guitar styles of Robert Johnson.

Emily Remler. Tragically lost at a young age, Emily Remler was a brilliant jazz guitarist as this New York Times feature will attest (you may need to register with the NYT for free to see the article). I still remember the bell-like clarity of her harmonics on "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" that she played upstairs at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, now many years ago. Thanks to recordings, we have the benefit of Remler's instruction on Bebop and Swing and Advanced Jazz and Latin Improvisation, and well as her albums of course. My favorites include This is Me and East to Wes, both of which I have on vinyl. Also check out Firefly.

Susan Tedeschi. A powerful, fiery electric blues player, Berklee School of Music-trained Tedeschi has received four Grammy nominations, the latest for contemporary blues album Hope and Desire, on Verve. Tedeschi played at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival with a horde of other top players. Her performance DVD and CD Live from Austin Texas
is great.

Emmylou Harris. A singer-songwriter, her vocals have graced countless albums headlined by others. However, you want to make sure to listen to Harris' own albums/CDs: featuring her songwriting more and more, they are masterpieces of musical beauty. Give Red Dirt Girl a listen, for example, along with Stumble into Grace and Cowgirl's Prayer. From the latter album, "Prayer in Open D" is an all-time favorite.

Finally, check out the compilation Blues Guitar Women to see a much broader view of women and the guitar.

Do you have a child who wants to learn the guitar? The Childbloom Program was developed specifically to teach guitar to kids from about age 5 through middle school. It was developed by a professional guitar player, music composer and music conductor, Kevin Taylor.

We became familiar with this method when our older son began studying at about age 6 1/2 with Kirk Hanser, who started the St. Louis Childbloom franchise and is also Director of the St. Louis Academy for Guitar. I'm not an affiliate or in any way commercially connected to Childbloom, except that my son went through the program and now performs with a post-Childbloom guitar ensemble for High School students called Bella Corda (there is a similar ensemble in Austin and, I presume, in other cities with Childbloom programs). My son, now in 9th grade, has also played in school jazz bands since 7th grade and also plays rock & roll with friends.

What is so great about this program? Many things. The kids learn to play classical guitar and to read music. They play music that is not dumbed down: it is age- and skill-appropriate, and is engaging for the kids. It is music they enjoy! The kids learn and perform in small groups, typically 2-4 kids for a lesson. For performance, some groups remain small, and there are also large guitar orchestras. For example, large guitar ensembles of 4th, 5th and 6th graders have grown around Kirk Hanser's studio in St. Louis and through his studio's work with the School District of University City. The kids study in small groups but come together for performances.

Students learn about musicianship and they have master classes with visiting, world class players (the Childbloom instructors themselves are often world class players who have chosen to focus on children's education, as in Kirk Hanser's case).

In the summer, kids can participate in MAGCC, Mid America Guitar Camp, which is held in 2008 on July 27-Aug 2 in New Haven, Missouri, near St. Louis. Every year, students (and parents) come from all over the US to this camp, with many from Texas and Idaho and the Eastern States, as well as from Missouri. An intensive but fun week, my son has attended every camp, and has great friends amongst the campers, parents and teaching staff. Kirk Hanser runs the camp, and in recent years, Kevin Taylor has come from Austin to join the staff. The editor of Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine, Bill Piburn, has also taught at the camp many times, and often international star guitar players join in for master classes and a concert. Michael Chapdelaine is one such visiting virtuoso- he is famous for being "the only guitarist ever to win First Prize in the world's top competitions in both the Classical and Fingerstyle genres; the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition and the National Fingerstyle Championships at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield , Kansas." He is a wonderful performer and works very well with the camp kids.

I strongly recommend you get children involved in music, and this is one of the great ways to do so!

6. Play by ear, also. It will only help. Only by trying music reading and playing by ear will you find out how you learn best. You want to develop both reading and listening skills no matter what (if you don't need to, you don't need to read my comments, just ).

7. Practice with a metronome or the more fun version- the drum machine. It spite of the guitar "heroics" many of us love, guitar is largely a rhythm instrument, and solos need to refer to the beat, perhaps play around it, but never lose it. Most of the multi-effects pedals have drum machines built in these days.

8. Enjoy it!

9. Play music with others, and don't be too picky about "group dynamics". You probably have to be able to get along, though there are notable exceptions, but you definitely don't have to be best friends to make great music together. If you wait to put together "the perfect group", you'll never have a group at all. If it isn't fun, try lightening up and relaxing to deal with the other people better.

1. Play a lot, but don't overplay. The comment about overplaying definitely relates to performance as well as to practice, though one is a question of artistry and taste, and the other is a question of protecting your hands and keeping your interest.

2. A short, focused practice session is more valuable than a long, unfocused one.

3. In spite of point 2, some things just take time, with the guitar in your hands, to develop. These include developing your fretting-hand calluses and strength, picking hand calluses if you fingerpick, speed, fluidity and dexterity. However, warm up before playing hard, and take breaks to avoid overuse injuries.

4. Listen to all kinds of music! Try to play along.

5. Learn to read music: it will only help.

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