Offerings

Private lessons, Guitar Ensemble, Guitar for Beginners (13 and up), Performance Class, Formal Recitals, Achievement Program

What You Can Expect From Us

We provide what we believe to be the highest quality instruction in all facets of guitar. We are active, working professional musicians who understand what is required to make music a livelihood. Our instruction, however serious and focused, emphasizes enjoyment of music at all times. We encourage participation in performances and ensembles.

The Guitar program at City Music Center is deeply committed to the idea that playing and studying the guitar should be an enriching and rewarding experience, musically and personally. Our mission is to offer the finest instruction in Contemporary (jazz, folk, rock) and Classical guitar in a positive and relaxed environment. As a program, we are intent on accomplishing the following (each point has equal weight).

• Prepare students who are looking towards making a career in the music industry to be able to enter a   music program on the conservatory level.
• Teach guitar fingerboard organization.
• Utilize Theory as applied to the guitar (contemporary & classical).
• Bring "real world" musical experience into our teaching studios in a nurturing way.
• Our program is open to everyone regardless of individual abilities or age.

What We Expect From You

Minimum practice time should be 15-20 minutes daily when first starting out, gradually increasing time as one becomes more proficient. A minimum ideal practice session for intermediate level should be 60 minutes daily & advanced students and aspiring musicians should be 3 hours daily. This does not mean that this should occur all at once. Breaking down the hours into small sessions is often a more efficient way to progress to a higher level on any instrument.

In order to progress, one must be committed to the process of learning the guitar. We encourage (and expect) daily practice and completion of given assignments. We also stress the importance of taking musicianship classes and we believe that theory & musicianship instruction needs application in order to be truly absorbed by the student. Therefore, we apply the knowledge from the musicianship classes to the guitar. Finally, we suggest that students keep a practice journal.

Guitar Ensemble (All ages)

The Guitar Ensemble is an exciting class aimed at getting guitarists of all levels together to create music. The class will encompass a wide variety of styles from works written for ensemble and favorites freshly arranged for the class. Open to all age groups and levels, some experience in reading music on the guitar is preferred, but not required.

Guitar for Beginners (13 and up)

Perfect for teenage students who are interested in starting out on guitar. This class shows students the basics and prepares them to begin private lessons in the future.

Performance Class

The weekly Performance Class is part of the core curriculum. The purpose of this class is to give students even more experience performing in public. We often hear “I played perfectly at home, but I don’t know what happened on the stage.” No matter how well the piece is prepared, the mind may play tricks during a performance. To avoid unfortunate mistakes and memory slips students must learn how to focus, direct their thinking process to artistic goals rather than the notes, and most importantly to project confidence. I always tell my students “Doubt and criticize every note when you practice, but be the greatest on stage”. ”You can’t recreate the performance environment at home or even at your lessons because of the lack of an audience. This is why this class is irreplaceable for every performing student.

Formal Recitals

In addition to the weekly Performance Class, 3 formal recitals and 4 dedicated Suzuki Recitals are held during the year.

Achievement Program

City Music Center is proud to offer students the opportunity to participate in the Carnegie Hall and Royal Conservatory Achievement Program. This program is optional for all CMC students.

Please visit their website to learn more about the program.

Faculty

Ken Karsh, Chair
Eric Brockschmidt