TakeLessons and Learning Care Group Announce Plans to Open 75 Lesson Centers This Fall

TakeLessons and Learning Care Group Announce Plans to Open 75 Lesson Centers This Fall TakeLessons and Learning Care Group Announce Plans to Open 75 Lesson Centers This Fall ksurmacewicz Exciting things have been happening at TakeLessons for several months now, and yesterday we finally revealed some big news that marks the beginning of a brand new venture for us the expansion of our music lesson programs to designated Lesson Centers! We are pleased to announce that beginning this fall, TakeLessons and Learning Care Group, Inc., the second largest for-profit early education and child care provider in North America, will be partnering together to offer music lessons to children ages 5-12 at select schools within the Learning Care Group umbrella of brands, including The Childrens Courtyard, Childtime Learning Centers, La Petite Academy and Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers. With this partnership, TakeLessons will offer private, one-on-one lessons on site at over 75 Learning Care Group schools in major cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The program launches on September 1, 2010, with plans to expand to additional markets in the near future. Students will have the option to choose from guitar, piano or voice lessons, which will be conducted in a designated area within each participating Lesson Center location. As an added benefit, students and other family members age 5 â€" adult have the opportunity to take in-home lessons through the program as well. Each lesson is 30 minutes in length and provides the student with one-on-one personalized instruction at a pace that complements their overall learning ability.   All of our Lesson Center teachers are TakeLessons Certifiedâ„¢, and must meet our rigorous hiring standards and pass a background check before they are accepted into the program. Numerous studies have shown the direct correlation between playing music and increased brain development and academic achievement.   Many children experience additional benefits from taking music lessons, such as improved memorization skills, enhanced motor skills, and increased self confidence.   This program will provide Learning Care Group students with the opportunity to start building these valuable skills at a young age, which will continue to impact them throughout their lives. More information about the each schools music program can be found on the following sites: TakeLessons at Childrens Courtyard TakeLessons at Childtime TakeLessons at La Petite Academy TakeLessons at Tutor Time

How Teaching Guitar to Others Can Help You Improve Your Own Skills

How Teaching Guitar to Others Can Help You Improve Your Own Skills Suzy S. Students arent the only ones learning a lot from guitar lessons! Guitar teacher Mike J. shares the many benefits hes seen over his many years of teaching experience There are many benefits to teaching guitar â€" you meet interesting people, form lasting friendships, and learn the virtue of patience, a little bit about human psychology, the importance of positive reinforcement, and some things about yourself. Often through students, I have heard about many recording artists who are not well known and that I have enjoyed listening to, or learning songs from. And of course, who doesn’t enjoy being paid for doing what they love best? But perhaps one of the most valuable side benefits is that you improve your own guitar and musicianship skills through teaching others. As a musician, it can be hard to motivate yourself to practice, unless you have a band rehearsal or a public performance coming up. But when I teach, I am always playing along with the student. If they are playing a melody, I am playing an accompaniment. No matter what we are doing, I need to be able to demonstrate the proper way of playing it, so I am playing the guitar for hours every day. That alone is of great benefit, and keeps my fingers nimble and my technique accurate. It also keeps my mind active and my music reading skills up. Many times a student will want to play a song that I have never heard, or in a musical style that I am not totally familiar with. By learning the song with the student, I am expanding my palette of skills and accompaniment styles. I am also broadening my musical tastes. Often I have cringed at the thought of learning a particular song only to discover that the song had more intrigue than I thought. In one afternoon I might play artists as diverse as Bach, Metallica, Peter Paul and Mary, Pat Metheny, The Beatles, OneRepublic, Van Halen, Hank Williams, and Taylor Swift. And I would not be honest if I didn’t admit that sometimes I have to practice a song in between lessons just to make sure I can play it better than my advanced students! Sometimes when a student has to cancel at the last minute, you find yourself alone with your guitar and a half hour to kill. What a perfect opportunity to practice, with no excuse not to! Through teaching guitar I have also discovered many fine instructional books on the market, such as books on finger-picking styles, rock guitar solos, jazz chord-melody style, bluegrass technique, theory books specifically for guitarists, and the list goes on and on. Teaching has also led me to find programs and apps to help students learn. There is technology out there that can slow songs down and change their key, help you practice with a metronome and program it to gradually speed up, loop difficult sections for practice, and notate songs in both tab and sheet music. So if you are sitting on a fence thinking about whether you should teach lessons on the guitar, bass or even the ukulele, theres a good chance youre ready to teach! You won’t only be enriching your students lives; you’ll be enriching your own as well. Mike J. teaches  acoustic guitar, bass guitar,  blues guitar, classical guitar, as well as  country guitar  in Ogden, UT.  He received his Applied Music Degree from  Mohawk College and has gone on to receive many certifications and awards since then.    Mike is a  full time music instructor with over thirty years of experience teaching, performing, and writing music.  Learn more about Mike J. here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by  quinn.anya