12-Week Guitar/Ukulele Lesson Plan Philosophy & Details
From Absolute Beginner to Playing Your Favorite Songs
Mastering an instrument is a lifelong endeavor. However, we feel that students can learn a good portion of the musical and guitar fundamentals with the 1 on 1, instructor lead training necessary to get them playing any of their favorite songs in the shortest amount of time possible.
Over the years, I've encountered many younger students 5-7/8/9 that really wanted to learn guitar but they just didn't have the hand strength or coordination to make it possible. The ukulele is an amazing instrument that has 4 vs 6 strings, and is much easier to play for little hands. The great thing about it is the strings are tuned in such a way that the chord shapes they learn on ukulele are almost exactly what they'd use on guitar, and the rhythm fundamentals, arguably the hardest thing to master in guitar is exactly the same, making the transition to guitar seamless when they're ready!
We can teach them to play easy songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, London Bridge, and Mary had a Little Lamb, within just 1-2 lessons!!
- It is highly recommended students practice daily for 20-40 minutes.
Students can expect to learn the following:
Month 1 (approximately 4 lessons). Working knowledge of the following:
• Guitar parts, history, and how it fits into the musical family of instruments
• What musical notes are and how they work together with rhythm to make music
• All musical notes, basic scales (key of C and Am), and chords I, IV, V, and VI in the key of G
• 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures, sheet music measures, and basic strumming within that framework
• Stretch Goal: 1-2 songs within the key of G
Month 2 (approximately 8 lessons). Working knowledge of the following:
• Several songs in the key of G and C
• How to tune any guitar (different guitar tunings)
• The I, IV, V, and VI chord concepts in common keys
• Common strumming patterns
• Barre Chords
Month 3 (approximately 12 lessons). Working knowledge of the following:
• Play advanced songs in any key
• Advanced chord progressions
• How to find the key of songs and determine what chords are associated with that key
• Convert any chord progression into picking patterns
• Complex strumming patterns and time signatures and how to improvise with strumming
• How to play simple lead guitar to any song
• How to look up and play most songs