Drop-in Groups | Private Lessons | Custom Groups | Singing Lessons
Come to beautiful Dungeness Valley, and improve your guitar playing and singing while you're at it! Join in on one of our group workshops on Sundayto learn a song, meet other musicians, and get inspired, or make an appointment during the week for a private lesson, or with your own group. Contact me for directions to our home studio for workshops, or to set up a lesson.
Sunday Workshops
Schedule | Workshop Descriptions | Pricing
At the beginning of each month, I send out a calendar for that and the following month, and newsletter to all of the workshop participants on my email list. To get on the student email list, send me a note through my contact form, with your email address and any questions you might have.
Class Schedule
The class schedule is subject to change, so contact us to check on the current schedule, and to get added to our mailing list, so you get updated calenders every month. As students show a preference to meeting at a particular time, the Sunday schedule may adapt to wishes of the majority. We might also add a class to the schedule on Sunday, down the road.
| 10:30-11:30am | Level 1 Guitar |
| noon-1:00pm | Level 3 Guitar |
| 1:30-2:30pm | Harmony Singing |
| 3:00-4:00pm | Level 2 Guitar |
Workshop Descriptions
Level 1 Guitar
If you’re new to the guitar, or are trying to get back to an instrument that has eluded you in the past, the level 1 class may be the place for you. You’ll learn the basics of chords and strumming, and how to use them in playing a song. Like the other workshops, the goal will be to learn one song each week, but we’ll mostly be working on playing the chords and strumming them during the class, including giving you some exercises to practice to get from one chord to the other more quickly. You’ll even learn some basic theory about chords, rhythm and melody, so that you can figure out songs on your own. The ultimate goal is to learn to sing the songs we learn, and to figure out how to play songs on your own.
Level 2 Guitar
If you’re familiar with the guitar, including knowing some chords, and how to strum in rhythm, then you might be interested in the Intermediate class. Here, you’ll learn some slightly more challenging songs, new chords, and new ways pick and strum. You’ll also explore some more interesting music theory, including how to transpose a song you know into any key, and more interesting rhythms, such as “waltz time”. From simple strumming, we will explore more sophisticated ways of picking and strumming rhythm guitar, and even learn some lead playing. We'll delve into the finer points of singing, including discovering your own voice and harmony singing. The ultimate goal is to be able to arrange songs for yourself or a group, and build your repertoire and ability to learn songs on your own.
Level 3 Guitar
For those who have already explored some finger-picking, or are quite adept at rhythm guitar, but are interested in exploring finger-picking, the level 3 workshop will explore fun finger-picking challenges. We’ll work on all kinds of songs, like Country Blues classics, Travis-picking, and we’ll even get a taste of picking some fiddle tunes. The emphasis in this class will be on performance and repertoire building, and developing a solid practice regimen to master these more challenging songs. Besides learning great and challenging songs, you'll learn exercises to develop fingerpicking technique.
Harmony Singing
Whether you're in a band and want to learn to teach your bandmates to sing harmony, or you have just always wanted to sing with others, this workshop will teach you the ropes, so that you can not only figure out a specific part in a group, but you will be able to show others as well. You do not have to play guitar or any instrument to enjoy this class, and the group atmosphere will be loads of fun!
Pricing
$15 per person, per class. You pay when you go to a class. There is no need to stress rescheduling or missing classes, and the low price means that going every week won’t bleed your bank account dry!
Discounts
$120 for a 10-lesson card. The card will be punched for every lesson you attend, and is good for 10 months. This makes your lessons $12 each. (20% discount)
Private Lessons (by appointment)
$40/hour.
If one-on-one time is what you want, then you can get that, too. If groups don’t appeal to you, or if you just need a little extra help to keep up with the group class, then Private Lessons may be for you. Appointments can be set up for 30, 45 or 60 minutes, and a course of study can be developed for you, or we can work on whatever you would like to work on. If you know folks who would like to participate in this kind of session with you, see below for information about Custom Group Lessons.
Custom Group Lessons (by appointment)
$40/hr. for 1st student, plus $10/hr. for each extra student.
If you know some folks who would like to participate in a group lesson with you, but Sunday won’t work, or you want to work on specific material that isn’t being offered at the Sunday lessons, the Custom Group Lessons may be for you.
Singing Lessons (by appointment)
$40/hr. for 1st student, plus $10/hr. for each extra student.
I can’t train anyone to get into a music conservatory, or to sing Opera or Jazz music, but if you are interested in getting in touch with your voice, and becoming a strong singer in the country, blues or folk music genres, I have a lot to offer to you. I can help you learn how to find your voice, what material would suit it, and ultimately, how to develop confidence in your singing, and develop “your own voice”.
If you are interested in harmony singing, you can learn that on your own with me, or you can set up lessons for a group, and I can help you all learn parts, and more importantly, how to figure out parts on your own. With harmony singing, it isn’t all just knowing what part to sing… it is about learning to “blend” your voice with others, to create one harmonious voice. We’ll work on all of these topics to improve your individual voice, and your group’s vocal sound.
