%20of%20061409%20002.jpg)
Guitar and Piano Recital Students, June 2009
The cost of learning to play an instrument well
is what matters, not the cost per lesson
We Have Recorded Proof that Our Teaching Methods Produce Extraordinary Results Quickly
Below are recordings of children and teens playing adult-level guitar solos. We currently have a 9-year-old piano student working on a Mozart Sonata. A recording will be available soon.
"When I first visited this site and heard these beautiful recordings, I never dreamed that my son would be playing one of these pieces so soon!"
--Parent of 12-year-old guitar student
Most videos are found on YouTube by clicking below:
Apple Valley Guitar Academy YouTube Videos
Due to the file compression (shrinking) used by YouTube, the sound quality is diminished, but you can still appreciate these young students' amazing musical abilities.
This 14-year-old student reached a virtuoso level in 4 years instead of the typical 15 years. His technique is so highly developed that he makes one of the most difficult pieces in the concert guitar repertoire seem easy.
You can continue browsing our site while the video loads. A video software player such as Windows Media Player is required. (Most computers today have this software pre-loaded.)
__________________________________________________________________
An Amazing Transformation
The following testimonial is regarding a student who left the studio of a virtuoso recording artist to take lessons at Apple Valley Guitar Academy. At age 12, he is now performing adult-level solos in his community.
"We really wanted our child to learn from someone who genuinely cared about the technique and precision needed to master classical guitar. We are so happy with the progress he has made and we graciously thank you. It has been an amazing transformation and we appreciate all you have done for him."
More
Testimonials
__________________________________________________________________
The Apple Valley Guitar Academy Difference:
Why
We Offer a Better Value in Music Lessons
FREE BOOK-Quality SHEET MUSIC, guitar exercises, chord charts and music
theory printouts
These free materials are custom-designed by a master teacher to make guitar
learning fun and easy.
FREE GUITAR STRINGS AND RESTRINGING
We provide free
nylon guitar strings and replace them during lessons without any labor fees.
We will soon be offering free steel strings, but we do not restring these
guitars because a large workbench is required to do so safely.
As a result of our free offers, you save nearly $100 per year.
The timeframe depends upon age and prior musical training, but we have students as young as 9 who perform in public (outside our own recitals) after a year of lessons. This is possible because of our one-of-a-kind, accelerated teaching methods, found in our 250 page guitar learning curriculum. This curriculum was developed over a 10-year period by a master guitarist with 40 years of experience.
In general, students see results about two to three times faster compared to standard teaching methods. As a result, those that continue guitar lessons until they reach a satisfying advanced intermediate level of skill save $100s in lesson fees.
BEAUTIFUL, SPACIOUS, COMFORTABLE MULTIMEDIA STUDIOS.
The above-ground lower level of our residence has been converted into a pair of music studios. It is separate from any living space and distractions. The main studio is a classroom with a wide-screen computer, audio system, recording equipment, music library, blackboard, and enough space to teach 4 students at once.
Comfortable living room furniture is available for seating of parents and siblings. The air is purified with a multi-level filtration system.
WE TEACH MUSIC THEORY AND EAR TRAINING
Theory explains the building blocks of music and how they are used to create musical compositions. Theory knowledge allows students to write their own music, improvise, and create accompaniments to singing. In addition, they will play written music much better than those ignorant of musical structure.
The same is true of ear training, which involves recognizing sounds by name rather than merely playing them back. It also sharpens musical perception and makes the student more sensitive to pitch and duration patterns in music.
In addition, a certain percentage of music students will eventually pursue teaching as a career. Without training in music reading, theory and ear training, they will not be qualified to do so.
WE TEACH CLASSICAL AND POPULAR MUSIC
The typical guitar teacher is well-versed in popular music, which every student should learn. Because of our classical training, we also teach music written by master composers in centuries past. This gives students interested in this repertoire a well-rounded musical education. It also makes them aware of the finer points of the musical arts, which is essential for students who will eventually study music in college.
We use computer-based learning methods
We have software and computer resources to support every aspect of our training system, providing a much broader, in-depth learning experience compared to traditional methods.
___________________________________________________________
Buying a Student Guitar
Retail stores today offer a wide variety of guitars with significant differences in terms of beauty of tone, structural quality, longevity, warranties, and suitability for beginners/children. Our master teacher, who has 40 years of experience with the major acoustic guitar makes/models, has written a short guide to help you in your purchase.
Guide to guitar types, sizes and purchasing
___________________________________________________________
More Information on
Apple Valley Guitar Academy
SPECIFIC STYLES OF MUSIC WE TEACH
We teach Popular, Classical, Chord-Melody Arranging, Christian, Folk, Country and Jazz.
Like other studios, we teach playing the guitar with a pick. We
also offer lessons in the beautiful and highly versatile technique known as
fingerstyle. This technique allows you to play independently "layered" music,
including compositions written for piano and orchestra.
In a
typical music group, three different guitars play bass (low notes), chords
(rhythm), and melody (lead). With fingerstyle training, our children
can play all
three together--bass/chord/melody!
TYPES OF GUITARS USED FOR LESSONS
We offer lessons on acoustic (steel string) and classical (nylon string) guitars.
Steel-string training includes playing with a pick or fingerstyle (with the right-hand fingers).
Classical guitar, often called "Spanish guitar", is taught fingerstyle.
We are located in Apple Valley, MN,
and serve the following South of the River communities:
Apple Valley, Burnsville, Cannon Falls, Coates, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Farmington, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, New Market, Northfield, Owatonna, Prior Lake, Rosemount, and Webster
LATEST NEWS
An Apple Valley Guitar Academy student was recently admitted to the University of Wisconsin as a guitar major. His new professor is one of several experts who has praised the guitar books written by our master teacher.
GUITAR PROGRAM AND
TEACHERS
Misconceptions regarding the term "Guitar Academy"
Print Registration Form
LESSON DETAILS AND CONTACT INFO
Private Guitar Lessons: 30/45/60 minutes
Private Piano Lessons
On-demand Workshops for Intermediate and Advanced
guitarists
Phones: (952) 322-4329 or
(612) 710-0800
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 241204 Apple Valley, MN 55124
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Sat. 10-am-12:00pm, Sun. 1 - 5:00 p.m.
INFORMATION PAGE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS
Closed Dates/Holidays* updated 09/08
LINKS