by Glen McCarthy | Jun 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
In the course of becoming musicians, we develop “fingers that play.” There are guitar (fretboard or string) fingers, keyboard fingers, woodwind fingers, brass fingers, and percussion fingers. Students who develop “fingers that play” have opened a lifelong doorway to...
by Glen McCarthy | Jun 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Keep a nail clipper in your guitar case, it is impossible to get a good tone if the left hand nails are not kept short. When you evaluate a student’s tone, observe the left hand nail length, and make sure a nail clipper is available for students to use in the class if...
by Glen McCarthy | Jun 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Tips + Tricks
It is easier to play with a drum machine than a straight metronome. Rushing is a common practice of guitar students who do not practice with a drum machine or timing device. When playing with a drum machine, the rhythms generally subdivide the measure making it easier...
by Glen McCarthy | May 27, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Stories, Tips + Tricks
Once a student discovers the “desire for mastery”, s/he is hooked. Students can discover the desire for mastery by attempting to play the simplest melodies. One of my most interesting observations came from teaching students who attend a behavior school. These...
by Glen McCarthy | May 20, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Tips + Tricks
Congratulations to the 307 Districts that received the 2013 Best Communities for Music Education designation as part of the Best Communities for Music Education Program! Schools or school district achieves this designation based on responses to the Best Communities...
