Making the most of your summer guitar schedule –
“School’s out, School’s out, Teachers let the fools out!”
Summer time is a special time. Time for a vacation from school and maybe some vacations with the family. For most, it’s a time to swim, play and have some fun. It’s a busy time though, just like the school year. But for others, it allows more time to spend on the things we want or need to do. Like practicing guitar!
My personal summer schedule involves a lot of extra travel with our musical acts doing concerts, parties and festivals around the country. It really revolves though around the summer vacation of my teacher wife and our school age kids. Everybody is home and on vacation. We swim, play and have fun. We do what we need to and what we want to.
For some, the summer gets so busy that it seems like a good time to take a 3 month break from their lessons. I can appreciate that.
A 3 month hiatus from your instrument however would cause the serious student to lose a lot of the momentum that they had going throughout the year. So, if you have to take that time away from lessons, I would strongly encourage everyone to maintain a regular practice routine. The guitar is part of our life now and that means we give it a little attention everyday just like you would to the beloved family pet. You’ve got to feed, water, care and nurture it to keep it healthy and happy.
For those who remain dedicated to their lessons during the summer time, we do take a slightly more relaxed approach. I want everyone to have a great summer in doing the things they want to do. Travel, sight-see, visit the relatives, make some memories. It is understood that there will be some hitting and missing of lessons for both the teacher and the student. We’ll catch as catch can but we won’t lose our momentum entirely. Also, with all those free hours out of school you actually might have time to practice even more.
You could set some summer time goals for your playing and really accomplish some serious stuff. Way more that you could do during the school year with homework, sports and everything else going on.
There is a third option for guitar classes in the summer. We offer specialized sessions and courses for small groups on a variety of topics. It might be a fun thing to take a “summer school” type guitar class in bluegrass, jazz, rock or classical. The courses range from one time session that last for a couple of hours to 4 and 8 week sessions.
Drop me a note for more information on the courses and dates we are offering this summer. [email protected] will be the best.
Plan your guitar time and plan for a great summer. I want you to keep that momentum going. Definitely, do take some time off. Take a little break. A little one! Go to the beach or go feed some ducks. Get away from your instrument for a few days. That’s a fine thing and you’ll be ok. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to work towards your next musical goal. Have a great summer!
When you’ve got a super busy summer and are not enrolled in lessons…
here are some tips on the very least you might do…
Get the guitar out of the case
Tune
Play for fun
Play for friends and family
Review your Songs (Repertoire)
Review your warm-ups, scales, chords, reading, rhythms and accompaniment patterns and styles
Set aside a minimum amount of time to practice
Set aside a maximum amount of time to practice
Set a summer time goal…
Finish a song, write your own song, finish a book, master your triads, learn to play the blues, listen to new music, go to 3 concerts, visit the library for new material, read music everyday for 5 minutes, start a band, go on tour, play Carnegie hall!
Otherwise…
You will lose momentum. You will lose ground with things like music reading especially, but also technical facility, chord/scale vocabulary and repertoire without some regular practice. If you don’t use it… you’ll lose it. Keep up the momentum with a minimum of practice time. AND do it on a regular basis. Maybe Monday, Wednesday, Friday? Tuesday/Thursday? Everyday for 20 minutes at 5am? 5pm? 2 hours the days you sleep you and the days you eat?
Music is a big part of the summer time. There are lots of opportunities to hear live music and to make some for yourself. Make music a part of your summer. Maintain your momentum and have a great and MUSICAL summer.
Jason and Co.
