Want To Learn How To Play The Guitar ?
Learn From Professional & Experienced Tutors
Superb Teaching Environment & Resources
Fun & Interactive
Stringbrokers Teaching Studio and The Andover Guitar Club & Rock School offers excellent quality and cost effective group guitar and music lessons for children and adults at all levels of development.
Junior Guitar Club Youth Guitar Club Adult Guitar Club
Ages 7 - 12 years old Ages 11 - 18 years old Ages 16 + Adult
All Guitar Club Lessons are taught in groups of 6 students which not only spreads the costs but still allows for good contact teaching, in fact, it can be as successful as one to one tuition in some cases as students are inspired by each other and develop conscientious practice routines fed from group kudos, dependancy and teamwork ethics.
Less cost and longer lessons mean that students have the time to learn and perfect individual core skills as well as learning to play together and have fun practising during each session. As well as the lessons students are encouraged to practice away from the group and with all learning materials supplied there is no excuse for students not to know what to do.
Andover Guitar Clubs lessons work as a stand alone method or can compliment school or individual tuition, especially as the student develops and may be interested in grade exams and school music courses such as GCSE or Btec qualifications.
All the Guitar Club Lessons are held at the Stringbrokers Teaching Studios which are now situated at the Stringbrokers Music Shop located in the Andover Town Centre. These are dedicated teaching spaces so no time is wasted setting equipment up and everything the teacher and student need is provided including Amp, Lead, Guitar & Music Stand, Drum Machine & Drum Kit. All the student needs to bring is their Guitar, Plectrum, Headphones and Music Folder. Most of the session will be live but if the students bring headphones they can work and practice independently of each other.
At the present time, Sept 2010, all Guitar Club Guitar Courses & Music Lessons are based, pro-rata, on an £8.50 hourly rate. As each Junior Guitar Club Lesson is one hour long the cost per session is £8.50 , this multiplied over the 12 week term results in a total charge of £102.
Youth and Adult Lessons are one hour and twenty minutes in length, therefore each session costs £11.30 which over a 12 week term equals £136. Stringbrokers Teaching Studio and the Andover Guitar Club feel these courses offer excellent value for money as all teaching materials are supplied and compared to the cost of one to one lessons, lessons at school or other similar teaching schemes Guitar Club students get more lesson time for less money with quality tuition in a dedicated environment.
Payment Plan
The course fee is usually paid as a one off payment at the start of each term but Stringbrokers are offering a payment plan to spread the cost of the lessons. After an initial payment of one month deposit and one month in advance we will set up a standing order that takes a fixed monthly sum from your bank account. If you want to stop your lessons or pay in advance all you have to do is give us one months notice and your deposit is used for your last months fees. Unfortunately there is a small increase to the overall cost of the course due to the extra paperwork involved. These tables should clearly show the difference in the payment methods.
Junior Guitar Club 7 - 12 years Class No. 6 Session 1 hour Weeks 12 One Off Payment Cost £102 Payment Scheme Sept £56 Oct £28 Nov £28 Dec £28 Payment Scheme Cost £112
|
Youth & Adult Guitar Club |
11 - 18 years |
Class No. 6 |
Session 1h 20m |
Weeks 12 |
One Off Payment Cost £136 |
|
Payment Scheme |
Sept £72 |
Oct £36 |
Nov £36 |
Dec £36 |
Payment Scheme Cost £144 |
As students progress in both the Junior and Youth groups they are encouraged to participate and perform in the Showcase Concerts held twice yearly. The Showcase Concert lets the students experience playing in front of an audience in a professional setting. Drums, Bass and Vocals are added to the groups as the concert approaches and on the day of the show students get a Rehearse Session and Sound Check on stage and have all the advantages of a full, professional sound and light system.
Junior Guitar Club sessions are one hour long as the age group is only between 7 and 12 years old. This roughly covers school years 4, 5 and 6 with some room to manoeuvre depending on the skill levels of some children. There are three class levels being -
- Beginners and New Players
- Improvers and Players
- Players
These different bands allow for natural yearly progression as well as providing the teacher a chance to move the children around based on there development.
Over the years the Guitar Club and its tutors have devised a simple syllabus which allows the student to have fun but still develop core skills and understanding.
As stated, in the introduction page, groups are limited to 6 students and both acoustic and electric guitars are welcome. If you or your child are interested in starting to learn the guitar and need advice on instruments, ages and sizes then please contact us.
Youth Guitar Club sessions are one hour and 20 minutes long and the age of the groups is between 11 and 18 years old. This roughly covers school years 7 through 11 and into college. There are four class levels being -
- Beginners & New Players (this is a one hour session)
- Improvers & Players
- Players & Performers
- Performers & Jammers
As the students progress from the Junior Club the sessions become more workshop orientated with pupils learning songs and pieces for performance in the Showcase Concerts. Each term the tutor and students choose music that inspires them and is within or just slightly beyond there ability levels at the time, these pieces address short, medium and long term goals and often use different techniques and skill centres such as open chords, power and bar chords, lead guitar and improvisation.
Adult Guitar Club sessions are one hour and 20 minutes long and anybody over the age of 16 may attend. There are four class levels being;
- Beginners & New Players
- Improvers & Players
- Players & Performers
- Performers & Jammers
As with the Youth Guitar Club as students progress from the beginner level the sessions become more workshop orientated with pupils learning songs and pieces for group playing and performance. We have found in the past that the adults are more reluctant to perform on the same level as the younger members so performances are lower key and less frequent but playing as a group and in front of other classes is encouraged at our Strum-A-Long Evenings. There are also other opportunities to perform, once certain skill levels have been achieved, such as the Adult Rock School and the Adult Friday Night Jam.
Beginners follow a syllabus that introduces them to the main aspects of playing the guitar such as Open Chords, Melody and Riffs, Guitar & Music Theory, Guitar Tab & Standard Notation Reading, Scales, Guitar Technique - Fingering, Picking & Strumming, Tuning and basic maintenance.
All of the learning materials are supplied and much of the music covered has accompanying backing tracks. By the start of the third term of twelve weeks students are introduced to Bar Chords and by the end of the first year they are strumming many popular songs, playing 12 bar blues, melodies and basic improvisation, Power Chords and Riffs.
Strum A Long Evenings
Held twice during the teaching year the Strum A Long Evenings give the adult students a chance not only to showcase their work but also play and jam with their piers in an informal environment. The evenings are very casual and are designed to nurture confidence rather than destroy it, adult students often feel more nervous than the younger students and these evenings allow for 'safety in numbers' performances which can help to push students to their next level of development.
All our tutors have experience both as professional musicians and visiting school guitar teachers working for Hampshire and Wiltshire County Council. All our Tutors are CRB checked.
Rob Robinson BA (Hons)
Course Director and Tutor
Guitar and Bass Guitar
Rob has played and studied music for over 25 years in a career which has seen him perform throughout the UK as a professional musician playing hundreds of gigs, concerts, festivals and touring theatre dates. Rob has worked for the BBC and recorded at the prestigious Abbey Road Recording Studios whilst working along side artists as diverse as Del Amitri, Percy Sledge, Stacey Kent and Brian Cant!
Rob started teaching in 1990 and over the years has taught many hundreds of students both privately and at the schools he visits in North Hampshire. Rob has helped and guided many of his students through Guitar Grades, GCSE, BTEC and A Level Exams and has had the pleasure of seeing some students study at Degree level and enter the music industry as teachers, musicians or recording engineers. Rob co-founded the Test Valley Rock School in 1995 with Harrow Way Drama Teacher John Baxter.
Rob plays both Guitar And Bass Guitar and has studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), Guilford and is a member of the Musicians Union.
Kev Rees
Tutor and Workshop Leader
Guitar and Vocals
Kev has been teaching since 1995 when he was first encouraged to start coaching groups for the Test Valley Rock School music workshops. It wasn’t long before Kev’s enthusiastic style, knowledge and musical background made him a very popular tutor and when he joined the Guitar Club in 2002 he was an immediate success.
Kev now works exclusively in the music industry performing and teaching both privately and at schools in the Tidworth, Hampshire and Wiltshire area. Kev is also a songwriter and composer having worked for Channel Four and writing commissioned songs and music for weddings and special occasions.
Kev plays electric and finger style guitar and is an excellent vocalist and interpreter of songs.
Gary Lewis
Tutor and Workshop Leader
Guitar and Vocals
Gary’s first encounter with teaching also came through the Test Valley Rock School where he has always produced first class work when preparing groups for performances. Gary’s ear for detail and patient approach makes him an ideal coach and teacher, he has worked for the Guitar Club since 2003.
Gary is an excellent lead guitarist as well as being a very competent vocalist and plays in several Rock, Pop and Blues bands where he is highly respected.
