As local music school Music Compound enters its ninth year of business – and with economic challenges continuing to impact community members and the company’s employees alike – the school is launching a new effort. The virtual on-demand “Introduction to Guitar Fundamentals: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide” course is not only enabling access to a high-quality learning opportunity to a wider geographic area but also providing the opportunity for greater earnings for the teachers involved in creating instructional videos and providing consultations with students.
Music Compound has long been known for its innovation and adaptability in challenging times. During Covid, owner Jenny Townsend and her instructors pivoted to online offerings very quickly as well as became an impromptu mask-making shop, which enabled team members to make some money while the facility was closed for in-person instruction.
“As costs are increasing for everything and people are managing budgets for essentials vs. discretionary spending, our goal is to keep innovating and evolving along with the marketplace,” said Townsend. “We know that you can Google ‘learn to play guitar’ and find thousands and thousands of options but, with our course, students receive access to live instructors – whether in person or virtually – who provide personalized, real-time feedback and guidance.”
The course is recommended for aspiring beginner guitar players ages 12 and up as well as for parents of younger students who could then act as their child’s first instructor to gauge interest before moving on to formal private lessons. It consists of 10 original lessons of approximately 80 minutes total length, two 30-minute personal consultations with a Music Compound instructor (either in person or via Zoom or Facetime for those who are out of area), and a spiral-bound resource booklet that will be given or shipped directly to participants. Students will also have access to all further videos in the “Introduction to Guitar Fundamentals” course as new content is completed and uploaded over the coming year.
This course is designed to guide the complete beginner at the very start of their journey, providing a solid foundation in the correct way to play and understand the foundational chords that will be the secret of their success for the rest of their musical life. Students will learn how to tune the instrument and name all the parts of the guitar, how to play the eight most important chords on the guitar that all other chords and many songs are built from, and the correct finger placement and hand ergonomics to make the most clean and appealing sounds.
If students enjoy learning and being part of the Music Compound community, they can opt for private virtual or in-person lessons, or the next level of the guitar course, which will be offered in the spring of 2024. Music Compound plans to add courses in piano and vocals, also by spring of 2024.
“Introduction to Guitar Fundamentals” is being offered at an introductory rate of just $97 and registration is now open. Visit musiccompound.com/online-music-lessons for more information.
