, , , , , , , , Adult Recital Recap – Join a Band! We’ve got 7 Adult Ensembles at Guitar Shed – 1st rehearsal is FREE

Join a Band

What a weekend we had in January! Starting with our Adults Solo Recital at Bob and Harriet’s Home Bar on Friday and ending with our Adults Ensemble Recital at Aisle 5 on Sunday. We had several performers doing double duty, and lots of students out both nights to support each other. A packed house both nights, and everything from bluegrass to jazz, blues, R&B, and more.

Our solo recital had some great arrangements, original songs, and even a surprise set from some of our teachers. I like to keep our teachers on their toes, and we pulled together a 3-song bar band set at the end of the night. I forgot my earplugs that night, and my ears are still ringing.

On Sunday, we had some teachers fill key roles in two of the bands. Monica saved the day with R&B Ensemble and prepared 3 songs the day of with the band. She sat in, and it sounded like they’d been rehearsing together for months. Zach also filled in on drums, swinging with the Jazz Ensemble. Big thanks to our photographers, Akash Das and Addison Hill, for capturing both evenings! We still have a couple of spots in our ensembles, so please check out our ensemble page here and join a band!

Below is a list of all of our Adult Ensembles

Acoustic Ensemble – Wednesday Night Supper Club

Americana Ensemble – The Bullfrogs

Blues Ensemble – The Bobcats

Jam Ensemble

Jazz Ensemble

R&B Ensemble – We are One

Rock Ensemble – Cosmik Debris

Our bands rehearse Sunday-Friday nights in our brand new rehearsal space, Studio A. We have a full studio setup with 5 individual monitor mixes and a subwoofer. Mixes can be controlled via iPad or even from your phone, and we have top-of-the-line equipment for you to use. 2 drumsets, 2 guitar amps, bass amp, 2 keyboards, plenty of mics, and much more. Studio A is also set up for recording, so you can easily record your rehearsal by plugging in a computer to the mixer. There has never been a better time to join a band at Guitar Shed! Up until very recently, all of our bands crammed into the drum room, which is now the teacher’s lounge. Now, there is plenty of room to spread out and jam! Contact the front desk if you are interested in joining one of our bands. The first rehearsal/audition is free!

Joining a band can be intimidating at first, but we do our best to create a safe and comfortable environment for musicians of all different skill levels. If you have been thinking for a while about joining a group, this is the place for you. We are a non-competitive music school for students of all ages. In addition to our Adult Ensembles, we also have 4 teen/tween bands that rehearse in Studio A. Two of these bands are Teen Rock Bands, and we have 1 Tween Rock Band, and 1 Americana Tween Band (The Tadpoles) as well. These groups also have a few openings, which you can view here.

For teens and tweens who aren’t able to commit to a band that rehearses weekly, we have 4 sessions of our summer camp, Camp Woodshed, open in 2024. They are filling up quickly, so now is the time to register for your spot. The early bird discount ends at the end of January. At Camp Woodshed, you will have a lead instructor from Guitar Shed as well as learn from some of our other teachers during master classes each day. There is a pizza party at the end of the week with a live performance in Studio A! Guaranteed to be the best week of your summer! So, even if you can’t commit to weekly rehearsals, you can still join a band in 2024!

Join a band!

/by
, , , , New Adult Ensembles This Fall!

We are excited to announce four new Adult Ensembles this fall! Contact the front desk to sign up today!

AMERICANA ENSEMBLE

Back by popular demand, our Americana Ensemble, The Bullfrogs is returning to Guitar Shed. The group will focus on a wide variety of music that falls under the Americana moniker, country, roots, bluegrass, and folk. However, this is not a traditional music group and they will incorporate newer covers alongside the classics you know and love. Open to acoustic instruments.

Tuition is $32.50 per rehearsal, and the group is led by Max Godfrey. Contact the front desk today if you are interested in joining!

If you like: Wilco, Rhiannon Giddens, Willie Nelson, Gillian Welch

When: Mondays 8:15-9:15

Where: Guitar Shed Lobby

 

JAM ENSEMBLE

Ready to take your noodling to the next level? Jam Ensemble is currently enrolling students who are looking to improvise with like-minded musicians in a group setting.  Tuition is $32.50 per rehearsal, and the group is led by Zach Judsen. Contact the front desk today if you are interested in joining!

If you like: The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Phish, Widespread Panic, Medeski Martin and Wood

When: Mondays 8:15-9:15

Where: Studio A

 

JAZZ ENSEMBLE

Jazz Ensemble will focus on improvisation techniques, learning to play in a combo setting, listening exercises, and building a jazz vocabulary. The group will primarily focus on material from the Blue Note era. Open to all instruments.

Tuition is $32.50 per rehearsal, and the group is led by Craig Cunningham. Contact the front desk today if you are interested in joining!

If you like: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Wayne Shorter

When: Wednesdays 8:15-9:15

Where: Studio A

R&B ENSEMBLE

Announcing our newest group, R&B Ensemble. This group is open to adults only, and all of our guitar spots are already full. We are now enrolling keys, drums, and vocals. Rehearsals are Fridays from 6:30-7:30 starting 8/11/2023.

Tuition is $32.50 per rehearsal, and the group is led by Sean McMorris. Contact the front desk today if you are interested in joining!

If you like: The Isley Brothers, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Tony! Toni! Toné!

When: Fridays 6:30-7:30

Where: Studio A

/by
, , , , Announcing R&B Ensemble!

Announcing our newest group starting in mid-August, R&B Ensemble. This group is open to adults only, and all of our guitar spots are already full. We are now enrolling keys, bass, drums, and vocals. Tuition is $32.50 per rehearsal and the group is led by Sean McMorris. Contact the front desk today if you are interested in joining!

/by
, , , , , , , ,

Winter Recital Update

It has been a busy month at Guitar Shed and we are looking forward to our upcoming Winter Recitals! Our Kids Winter Recital on 12/9 is full, but please email us if you would like to be added to the waiting list. The Teens and Adults Recital on 1/13 is filling up fast, so make sure to register in the student portal to guarantee your spot. Tickets are now on sale for both events. We encourage all of our students and families to attend, even if you are not performing. We would love to see you there!

KIDS RECITAL 12/9 at City Winery – BUY TICKETS HERE
TEENS AND ADULTS RECITAL 1/13 at Venkman’s – BUY TICKETS HERE

We’ve got a special Guitar 101 workshop this Saturday from Brandon Marsolo. Great for all of the beginning guitarists out there! Also, Halloween is just around the corner and if you wear your costume to your lesson you get one of our cool new Guitar Shed holographic stickers!

Some of you may have noticed our new “Birthday Board” in the lobby. We have two teacher birthday’s coming up this week! Nichelle’s birthday is on Tuesday and Brandon’s is on Friday. Make sure to wish (or sing) them Happy Birthday!

/by
, , , , , , ,

Girls Night

Let’s face it, middle school is tough even for the most well-adjusted emotionally intelligent pre-teen. It is a time of transition, where kids are taking on more responsibility, a busier workload, balancing a busy schedule and trying to fit in. No they are not kids any more, but not young adults either. Tweens are certainly in between. After talking with some of our parents, I got the sense that several of our middle schoolers were having a tough time adjusting to the new school year. Especially our girls. And our girls are awesome, they play every instrument at Guitar Shed and they continue to impress me with their creativity and work ethic. I spoke with my wife, and she immediately said “Why don’t you do a girls night?!” (whenever she is in need of some friendship a “Girls Night” always does the trick…and gives me an opportunity for some alone time). I said, “great idea” and “Girls Night” was born! This will be a time for girls age 10-16 to let loose and have some fun with fellow Guitar Shedders. This a free event with pizza and karaoke. Nichelle will be in charge of the karaoke and you’ll get to hear her belt out some great tunes as well. Trust me, she can SING! Space is limited, so email us or RSVP in the student portal to guarantee your spot. Girls are also welcome to bring a friend.

Looking ahead, we’ve got a busy fall at Guitar Shed with several great events coming up. This year is the first year we will be participating in Oakhurst Porchfest with both our Teen and Adult Bands performing. Brandon is teaching a Guitar 101 Workshop in late October and we have just announced our Winter Recital Dates!

Signup begins for the Kids Recital (only open to ages 12 and under) on October 1st in the Student Portal. This recital is limited to 70 performers, so make sure to signup early to guarantee a spot! Let us know if you need us to resend your login information or if you have any other recital questions. We are very excited to be back at City Winery and looking forward to having our Teens and Adults Recital at Venkman’s as well in January!

October 5 – Girls Night

October 13 – Oakhurst Porchfest

October 27 – Guitar 101 Workshop

December 9 – Kids Winter Recital at City Winery

January 13 – Teens and Adults Recital at Venkman’s

 

/by
, , , , ,

Recital Recap

Thank you all for two successful recitals! It is such a joy to watch all of our students grow with each performance. For some of you this was your 6th recital! We strive to create a safe environment where mistakes are not frowned upon and creativity is encouraged. Thanks to all of our performers for having the courage to get up on stage, and to all of our attendees for your unwavering support!

At Guitar Shed we stress the importance of lifelong learning. The recitals are not a test to be passed or failed. I encourage you to continue playing your pieces and make them your own. They can become part of your repertoire and you can revisit them throughout your life. We approach teaching kids, teens and adults very differently and there are benefits and challenges with each age group. All of the teachers at Guitar Shed are lifelong learners as well and we are always looking for ways to improve our playing and teaching.

At our Teens and Adults Recital we had everything from Mozart to Tina Turner to Ed Sheeran. Our Teen Band debuted with three songs as if they have been playing together much longer than a few short months and our Adult Band is hitting a groove with a full set of music. For our Kids Recital we had several sibling and family collaborations and a heavy dose of Beatles classics. We even had some original cosmic lyrics to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” that I am still humming. We are hoping to start a “Tween Band” in the fall for ages 10-12 so let us know if you are interested in joining the waiting list.

Check out the links below for the full recital galleries!

Kids Recital – City Winery – Photography by Addison Hill Photo

Teens and Adults – Venkman’s – Photography by Katherine Jianas Photography

/by
, , , , ,

CAMP WOODSHED

CAMP WOODSHED –  JULY 9-13 2018

Have the best week of your summer jamming at Guitar Shed! CALL 404-500-5375 TODAY or email [email protected] to reserve your spot…or sign up in the parent portal!

What to expect: Our camp is 15 hours of musical instruction that feels more like having fun with friends than it does practice. Throughout the week, the students will learn arrangements of fun, popular songs while working on technique, music fundamentals, and playing cohesively with other musicians. At the end of the week, the students will feel more confident about their playing and have memories to last a lifetime.

Who can sign up? Students with at least one year of playing experience ages 11-15

Camp Capacity: 15 students

Tuition: Tuition of $250 for existing students is required to reserve your spot. Tuition is $275 for new students. If your plans change, we can refund 50% of your paid tuition if you let us know BEFORE the scheduled camp begins.

When and where is the camp:

July 9-13 2018 — Monday-Friday 9:30am-12:30pm at Guitar Shed— 1610 Hosea L Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317

Why Woodshed? 

“Woodshedding” is slang for practicing your musical instrument….and “Shedding” is short for “woodshedding”…that’s how we came up with the name Guitar Shed!

/by
, , , , , ,

Winter Recital Details

Our Kids Recital is this Sunday and the Teens and Adults Recital is the following Sunday! We are very excited to hear you all perform! Read on for all of the details on both recitals and feel free to reach out with any questions…

KIDS RECITAL – Sunday, December 10th

TEENS AND ADULTS RECITAL – Sunday, December 17th

Photo Release: We will have a photographer at both recitals, if you would prefer that you or your child not be photographed please let us know.
Attire: casual, only dress up if you want to 🙂
Poster: Pick up your free poster at the Shed if you haven’t already.

Let us know if you have any questions and…..stay tuned!

/by
, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fall Calendar 2017 – Important Dates

  • December 17
/by
, , , ,

Summer Recital Recap

Thank you all for attending and participating in our Summer Recital. We had standing room only at the Red Light Cafe and a very supportive audience. I am continually impressed by the poise and stage presence of our performers, many of whom have never been on a stage before! Our recital included nursery rhymes, complicated pieces with shifting time signatures, ensemble pieces, duets, well known covers and original songs. You can view video from the performance on our Facebook page.

Thank you again to the Red Light Cafe for hosting and to Cindy Wnek for her photography. It has been such a joy to see our school come together and perform an entire night of music. No matter how big or small, I believe that there is much to be learned from each performance opportunity. So keep learning, keep shedding and keep performing!

Summer Recital photos are up! Enjoy!

Posted by Guitar Shed on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

/by