School Update – 3/12

Greetings Guitar Shedders,

Hope this message finds you well. Starting March 15 we will shift to virtual lessons at Guitar Shed. We will be open for lessons today and tomorrow, however, you do have the option of video-conferencing your lessons effective immediately. Please reach out to your teacher directly to coordinate video lessons. Their contact information is available in the student portal under “Contact Info.” Our Spring Student Showcase will be postponed to a later date.

This was not an easy decision, but one made in the best interest of our local community. Rather than wait until the virus spreads to Guitar Shed, we are being proactive to prevent further transmission.

We are thankful to have access to video-conferencing technology (FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, etc.) that will allow our students to continue progressing on their instruments. I encourage you to please take advantage of this option as our teachers’ livelihood depends on it. Musicians have been hit hard around the globe and locally with festivals and gigs being canceled. Several of our teachers at Guitar Shed are gigging musicians that will lose out on supplementary income in the weeks to come.

Starting March 14 our regular lesson policy will be in place and you are welcome to cancel lessons with at least 24 hrs. notice and receive a makeup credit. Lesson times will remain the same. We are making one exception and increasing the maximum amount of allowed makeup credits this year from 5 to 8 for all students.  

Lastly, I would like to reiterate that this is not a notice of closure. We are shifting our model to a virtual experience for the time being until the situation calms down. We will be in touch with updates as to when in-person lessons will resume. Our staff will also continue to monitor the general mailbox ([email protected]).

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you all for your support and….

Keep Shedding!

Parker 

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School Update – 3/10

Greetings Guitar Shedders,
Please read the following update carefully.
Our plan at Guitar Shed is to remain open unless Atlanta Public Schools (APS) decides to close schools in our area. I am meeting with local business owners and officials to determine the best plan of action going forward. We ask that you adhere to the following guidelines APS has issued.

-Stay home when you are sick, and keep your children at home when they are sick. As a reminder, students running a fever must stay home from school until they are symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication 
-Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. 
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
-Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 
-Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
-Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Disinfectant wipes are available in all lesson rooms and in the lobby. We are taking deep cleaning measures on all surfaces, instruments and common spaces. 

For the remainder of March, we are adjusting our cancellation policy to allow makeup credits within 24 hrs. only for students who are sick. 

We plan to offer Skype video lessons if we close down. Skype is a free service and works on most phones and computers that have a camera built-in. We will not make Skype lessons mandatory for students, but hopefully, this will make up for some lost income for our teachers. This is not ideal but will keep some semblance of normalcy and our students will continue to progress on their instruments. Lesson times will stay the same and the bonus is you can learn in your pajamas!

Your health is paramount. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other and if you or your children start to feel symptoms please stay at home to avoid any potential spread. 

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, , Office Hours with Parker

I have just added some office hours on Tuesdays from 4-7 pm to catch up with all of you Guitar Shedders. With my teaching schedule, I don’t always have time to check in with our students and I really enjoy hearing what you are working on. These office hours are an opportunity to talk about your lessons and experience at Guitar Shed. All feedback is welcome and you can register (free of charge) in the student portal.

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, , , Cello Lessons Now Available

SIGN UP for Cello lessons with Gail!
Click here to view availability


Gail Burnett has a degree in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University. For 20 years, she has been teaching young children the foundations of music in a developmentally appropriate, educational and fun class setting, performing as a children’s entertainer (Miss Gail and the Jumpin’ Jam Band) in the Atlanta area, speaking on a state and national conference level to Educators on using music effectively in the classroom and teaching private cello and piano lessons. She most enjoys working with beginner-range students, children and adults alike, to help reinforce rhythm and pitch, mechanics and other components that are important to competence….all while making it an enjoyable experience! She is currently co-authoring the music section for a book on brain development.

Gail is also a studio musician, contract musician for worship and other bands and has been a part of ESOEBO, a roots/Americana-charted band, performing regularly at clubs, private events and songwriter festivals including 30A, Wire and Wood and 2016 winner of Eddie Owens Presents open mic shoot out.

In her 20’s, Gail found she had a gift for playing by ear and much of her work now is improv-based. However, she is passionate about helping students to both discover their creativity and learn foundational music knowledge to get them where they want to go on their musical journey! She is the mother of a 23-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter, who are both songwriters/musicians, with music on Spotify and other platforms. She is a strong believer that while music does have a strong genetic component, everybody is musical and capable of learning!…. its just a matter of helping them discover their best way to learn!

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Spring Student Showcase Registration Now Open

Our Spring Student Showcase registration is now open in the student portal. Please check with your child’s teacher to make sure they are ready to perform before signing them up. Teacher contact info is available in the student portal. Registration is open to kids and teens and all instruments except drums (due to space limitations). This is a free event and open to the public.

To sign up, click on the event in the student portal and click “Register” 

When: Saturday, March 21st from 2:00-4:00 pm 
Where: The Pullman – 1992 Hosea L Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317 

Our Student Showcases are a great way to hone your chops in an open, informal environment. We hope to see you there! 

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Camp Woodshed – 2020 Dates Announced!

2020 DATES ANNOUNCED!

WEEK 1: July 13-17 (ages 7-10)

WEEK 2: July 20-24 (ages (11-14)

Click here for more information

email us at [email protected] to reserve your spot!

Monday-Friday

9:30 am – 12:30 pm at Guitar Shed

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Kids + Teens Winter Recital Recap

It has been a busy month at Guitar Shed with two packed recitals! Our Kids, Tweens, and Teens all had some very memorable performances. I am continually impressed by the creativity, talent, and emotion on display at our recitals.

Students prepared songs old and new as well as songs of their own. Our teachers worked diligently to prepare accompaniments and made sure that everything ran smoothly on stage. Parents and grandparents sat nervously in the audience and held back tears of pride. We were fortunate to perform at two of the finest music venues in Atlanta to a full house. Thank you, everyone, for your participation and support! 

Looking ahead, we will be closed for a few holiday breaks so please check the calendar below.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Calendar

November 27 – December 1 – CLOSED for Thanksgiving Break
December 21 – January 4 – CLOSED for Winter Break
January 16 – Adult House Band Rehearsal – 8 pm
January 19 – Adults Recital at Eddie’s Attic – 8 pm
January 20 – CLOSED for MLK Day

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Winter Recital Signup Next Week

We had some great performances at our Fall Student Showcase and the Kirkwood Wine Stroll this month! Thank you to everyone who performed at and attended these events. Next on tap is Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, October 12th and our Winter Recitals starting in November.

Signup begins for all Winter Recitals on 10/1. There is limited space, so please talk to your teacher and sign up in the student portal as soon as possible.

Recitals are not required at Guitar Shed, but they are encouraged. This is a great opportunity to come together as a community and support each other. There are no awards, no rankings, no auditions, no judging, and no preference given to individual students. This is intentional. We strive to create a safe, non-competitive learning environment at Guitar Shed and pride ourselves on the creativity and diversity of our students.

So don’t hold back, be your best self and resist the urge to compare yourself to other students. Looking back at our recitals, the pieces that moved me have been the most authentic ones. Doesn’t matter if it is “Hot Cross Buns” or Stravinsky. Play what you want to play, not what you think you should play. Put emotion before technique and speed. Don’t be afraid to bring something to your teacher that resonates with you. Feel free to go “off-book” and work with your teacher to create a custom arrangement just for you. Most of all, be yourself and have fun!
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Winter Recital Details – Signup begins 10/1

It’s that time of year again and we are getting into recital mode! Below are all of the details for our Winter Recitals, please read carefully.

Signing up

-Signup begins 10/1 in the student portal at 9 am. Space is limited, so please sign up promptly to guarantee your spot. Starting on 10/1, click on the recital date in the calendar and click “Register.” Please familiarize yourself with the student portal before 10/1. We are always happy to resend your login info and walk you through event registration at Guitar Shed. 

-Check with your teacher first to make sure you are ready to perform, you do not need to choose your piece when you sign up. Your teacher will give us that information as the event gets closer.

-Tweens ( 10-12 year olds ) are welcome to sign up for the Kids or Teens Recital since there is limited space in the Kids Recital. 

Admission

-Admission is $10 in advance and at the door for ALL performers and guests. This is a new policy to help with the production of our recitals. Admission covers the costs to pay the venue, market the event, design and print posters, hire photographers, print our photo albums and most importantly pay our awesome teachers. 

-Tickets will be available on each of the venue’s websites soon.

House Band

-There will be a teacher house band for the Teens and Adult recitals. Please let your teacher know if you would like to be accompanied by the house band. The house band will also accompany all of the drummers at the Kids Recital. 

-There is a mandatory rehearsal if you would like to be accompanied by the house band. Date TBD.

Venues, Dates and Times

-Kids Recital: 11/16 at City Winery – 12-3 pm

-Teens Recital: 11/24 at The Vista Room – 7-10 pm

-Adults Recital: 1/19 at Eddie’s Attic – 7-10 pm

More details

-If you haven’t already, grab a free poster on the music stand in our lobby.

-Please stay to see your fellow performers. We have split up our recitals into 3 events to allow for a shorter program. 

-We will have a photographer, please let us know if you would not like to be included in recital photos. 

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Guitar Shedders – Facebook Group

We’ve got a new group, Guitar Shedders! Well, we already had a Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and all that good stuff but we needed a separate forum where current and former students could interact with each other. Students periodically asks questions that I don’t always have the answer to…

Are there any other students looking to jam? 

Can anybody switch lesson times with me?

Does anybody want to buy a used tuba from me?

These are all great questions for our new group, Guitar Shedders. As teachers, we strive to create a connected musical community in Atlanta and the intent of this group is to pass this synergy along to our students. As Guitar Shed teachers, we have played several gigs together and continue to interact musically outside of teaching. This contributes to our shared musical history and brings us closer together.

Please request to join our group and feel free to post anything music related….just keep it clean. This group is for students 18+up and we will moderate the group if there are any harmful comments.

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