My Teaching Philosophy...
When teaching beginning or intermediate guitar students, my #1 priority is to get you to actually play guitar as soon as possible - this builds your self-confidence and insures an element of fun that you will need. We will work with musical or guitar ‘foundation’ but providing you the ability to actually PLAY means that your practicing will be fun and not so much a chore…
Yes, we will be working from a formal lesson book, but we also find out what YOU want from your instrument and work individually to make YOUR goals and YOUR objectives part of every lesson...!
I want YOU to have as much fun as I am having playing my guitar or bass!
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Music Lesson Details:
Lessons are given in your home (Monroe County PA or Sussex/Warren County NJ) or in my Studio (Smithfield Village section of East Stroudsburg PA near the Marshalls Creek border) on a weekly or scheduled basis.
Payments are requested one-month in advance in order to receive the maximum discounted rate.
Discounted Pre-paid Rates for at-home lessons
- 30 minute lesson $ 35.00
- 45 minute lesson $ 45.00
- 60 minute lesson $ 55.00
- Distance surcharges may apply for some extended travel
- Add $5.00 per lesson if you desire to pay seperately for each lesson
Payments may be made in Cash, Paypal or Personal Check made payable to Son Lewis.
Student cancellations must be made 24-hours in advance in order to qualify for a full credit toward the next month's lessons. Student cancellations made on the same day as the scheduled lesson are will not be subject to a credit.
Instructor cancellations (due to any last minute performance, recording, touring or travel dates) will ALWAYS result in a credit applied for the next month's lessons.
Student may be responsible to purchase designated instruction or song books from instructor OR a local music store. Student may be responsible for postage if a book they request has to be special-ordered.
Parents or other guardians are welcomed to be present in the lesson space with the student for the full lesson or to audit at any time, if desired.
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What the student will need:
- Guitar (acoustic OR electric) properly sized for the student. Very young students will most likely need a 1/2 size or 3/4 size "student level" guitar. With adults a "full size" guitar is recommended. The guitar needn't be expensive but should have a comfortable "action" which means it should not be too difficult or painful to press the strings down on the neck (in between the metal frets) with the very tip of your fingers. Nylon, Steel or Bronze strings are all acceptable but Nylon are the easiest for smaller children. Although there are some good on-line sources for guitars, I do recommend the closest real "brick and mortar" music store so the student can hold the guitar, test the action, ask questions and feel comfortable with the most expensive part of all the purchases... a good student guitar. If you have "inherited" a guitar or an older family heirloom is available, a good local music store may also provide a "set up" for you to make that guitar it's most "playable".
- Music Stand (light duty wire-frame) is required. It should have "wire ears" for holding down the pages for guitar instruction books.
- Battery-operated Digital Tuner will help the student keep the guitar in tune and the string tension at "concert pitch" tension. The guitar is a wonderfully engineered musical instrument but strings that are tuned "to high" means extra string tension (pounds of pressure on the neck) which could result in the neck warping over time. On some guitars, neck warp cannot be fixed. "Clip-on" tuners, such as the Snark or Fishman operate on standard 2032 Watch Batteries and can easily clip on to the headstock of the guitar. The are available on-line and can be found for as little as $8 - $10 (and there are some expensive and elaborate ones that can be a bit of over-kill to the beginning student).
- An extra set of Strings are always a good thing to have around... yes, they might break when old or tuned too high. Light gauge steel or bronze or "light tension" or "medium tension" nylon are recommended. Also available on line from many vendors.
- A well-lighted lesson space where the student and instructor can sit comfortably for the session. Although two armless chairs are recommended, we can work with couches, stools, etc. provided the student can play the guitar comfortably with posture and hand/arm position.
There are many online options like Amazon where these are commonly available but I personally recommend www.sweetwater.com OR www.musiciansfriend.com as sources I use for a wide variety of musical supplies.
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For an initial conference to discuss your goals and objectives
or to begin scheduling lessons, contact:
Son Lewis
973-452-2937 cell
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