by Glen McCarthy | Jul 22, 2014 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
We all know that feeling when a famous guitar solo takes over the air waves; the broadband; the track. It instills us with total confidence – the feeling that the guitarist has “got this,” and that they’re going to take the song to the next level. But how do...
by Glen McCarthy | Jul 14, 2014 | Classroom, Education, Gear, Principles, Tips + Tricks
The Loop Pedal You may have already used a loop pedal yourself. If you have, you already know how much fun it is. If not, teaching improvisation to your students is the perfect time to use loops. It’s also a great tool for your class to learn how to use and part of...
by Glen McCarthy | Jul 14, 2014 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
Your students probably heard their first Beatles song before they were five years old. But do they know who’s behind the genius of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes the Sun”? Some of Harrison’s guitar flourishes are the most hummable parts of many...
by Glen McCarthy | Jul 9, 2014 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
5 Ideas for Large Classes The trickiest part about managing a large class is getting everyone on the same page and keeping them there. (Anybody have a megaphone?) Attention gets diverted easily and extraneous chatter spreads like wildfire. Here are five ideas to make...
by Glen McCarthy | Jul 9, 2014 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
How to Win Over Bad Students and Influence Classes Every teacher – whether they’re presiding over guitar or Algebra – has had a class utterly ruined by a bad student. Student with bad attitude, tough home life, too many jokes (funny or not); somehow they managed to...
by Glen McCarthy | Jul 2, 2014 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Tips + Tricks
A feeder program will keep music strong in your community and help to stave off problems like budget cuts, recruitment, retention, and weak programming. Here are a few ideas for establishing and strengthening your feeder program. Meet Your Neighbors Reach out to the...