Guitar Lessons on the
Main Line and Delaware County
Main Line School Voted “Best Music and Dance Studio“
by the Main Line Times and News of Delaware County
Main Line School of Music and Dance Guitar Lessons
If you are looking for fun, educational, and inspiring acoustic or electric guitar lessons from top-notch teachers, you don’t have to look any further. The Main Line School of Music and Dance started out in 1988 as a guitar school and since that time we have taught thousands of students of all ages and levels how to play acoustic and electric guitar.
Testimonial
“We have decades of experience, in both the music and dance schools, at Main Line; 2 kids, 3 musical instruments. I am not sure there is a family at the school who has logged more hours at the Ardmore location. The instructors are of outstanding quality; certainly regional, and some with national and international credentials. What is nice is that most instructors have been teaching at Main Line for years; they ‘get it’; the kids have achieved success at Main Line that permeates their non music and dance lives. The Main Line administration is accommodating and reasonable. Challenges always emerge, and we have been uniformly satisfied with mutually agreed upon results. Main Line has figured out the recipe to have music and dance education a natural fit into everyone’s lives. Main Line is as good as it gets.” (Parents of Andrew and Maeve)
Click the video below to see some our guitar students perform.
Our Recipe For Your Success
Part of our recipe for helping you achieve success playing the electric or acoustic guitar is that we utilize proven methods of study to maximize your progress. This makes the learning curve as short as possible and helps to facilitate a much faster progression for you on the guitar. Our approach helps to create a fun, balanced musical experience for you while creating an environment that fosters well-rounded musicianship. Additionally, we introduce a wide variety of topics into your guitar lessons that include scales, reading, theory, repertoire, improvisation and a myriad of other topics that will pique your interest. Whether you want to play rock music like your favorite artists, pop styles, jazz or classical repertoire, we will teach you the guitar skills that you can apply to any style of music. We will also match you up with the acoustic or electric guitar teacher that is perfect for you. Guitar lessons are provided in our Ardmore location, our Springfield location, or in the convenience of your own home.
Our Guitar Teachers
The Main Line staff of guitar instructors have earned music degrees from universities, are very patient with their students, and have lots of performance experience. Many of our guitar instructors even have a Master’s degree or a Ph.D., but most importantly, our teachers vary their teaching methods to match your individual learning style. Main Line Music School guitar teachers are youthful, fun and will engage you with material that is both interesting and exciting while tempering it with the necessary amount of structure. Additionally, you get to select your own repertoire so you can learn the songs that inspire you. Our guitar instructors combine a mixture of teaching you how to read music while also teaching you how to incorporate your ear so you can hear and recognize notes and melodies. Our Main Line and Delaware County acoustic and electric guitar lessons are all private one-on-one instruction and lessons are available for thirty (30) minute, forty-five (45) minute or sixty (60) minute sessions.
Beginner Acoustic and Electric Guitar Lessons
Many of our students start out as beginner guitar players. You will find that all of our guitar teachers are familiar with current popular acoustic and electric guitar music, as well as classic rock, heavy metal, jazz and acoustic music.
If you are not sure what style of music you want to study, we can help you decide by exposing you to the different genres of music. You will be able to apply the guitar skills that you will learn to any style of music that interests you. With diligent, daily practice on your part, we guarantee that you will be able to play at least one song on the guitar within the first few months of your lessons. However, many of our guitar students learn a lot more than one song. You will learn basic chords, scales and other beginning guitar techniques that will help you progress to the intermediate and advanced levels.
Intermediate to Advanced Guitar Lessons
As an intermediate to advanced student of the guitar, you will learn improvising techniques, advanced scales, chords, arpeggios and a myriad of other fun techniques. Most importantly, you will learn how music works and gain a greater understanding about how songs are composed on the guitar. Studying key signatures, scales, chords, rhythm (and the theory behind songwriting) is paramount to your success on the acoustic or electric guitar.
Performance Opportunities
We offer you a minimum of two performance opportunities each year at our music showcases. Students perform on a variety of instruments including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, piano, voice, woodwinds, drums and strings. Performers also range from beginner to advanced abilities. Some of the benefits that you get from performing in the showcase include:
- Performing in front of an audience builds confidence.
- An opportunity to apply the knowledge that you have learned in your lessons.
- Setting a goal to master and play a piece of music in front of an audience.
- Performing on guitar in front of an audience is fun!
Playing Guitar in a Band
One of the most rewarding aspects of learning the guitar is that you will hone the skills needed to play with other musicians. The Main Line guitar teachers will help you develop your skills that will facilitate your ability to play your favorite songs or pieces with a band.
The Main Line Advantage
Since 1988, we have helped thousands of students learn to play the guitar. From experience, we know what is effective and what is not effective. We pride ourselves on the fact that we cater to each student’s needs, not only with top rate guitar instruction, but with excellent customer service. Our full time office staff takes care of all your scheduling, billing and any other questions that you might have. This allows our teachers to concentrate 100% on teaching you. They do not have to use valuable lesson time to do scheduling and collect tuition.
Ardmore Location (610-658-5284)
692 Pont Reading Road
Ardmore, PA 19003
(down the street from Chestnutwold Elementary School)
This location is in Ardmore, but is also convenient to Bala Cynwyd, Broomall, Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne, Havertown,
Lower Merion, Narberth (Penn Valley) and Wynnewood.
Springfield Location (610-658-5284)
353 Baltimore Pike (2nd floor)
Springfield, PA 19064
(next to Chuck. E Cheese)
This location is in Springfield, but it is also convenient to
Drexel Hill, Media, Lansdowne, Secane and Swarthmore.
In-Home Guitar Lessons (610-658-5284)
These Main Line, Delaware and Montgomery County
acoustic and electric guitar lessons are given in the convenience of your own home.
Why Choose Us For Guitar Lessons?
- You will learn in a fun, low-pressure environment.
- Our guitar teachers are entertaining, youthful and patient.
- Your guitar lessons are individualized to your particular learning style.
- You can choose to play classical, rock, pop, jazz or any style that interests you.
- You are invited to perform in two (2) showcases each year.
- You can get assistance outside of your lesson so you do not lose any lesson time.
Five Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitar Lessons
1. Insist On Private Lessons When Learning the Guitar
Group lessons work well for preschool music programs, choruses and theory lessons. However, when learning how to play the guitar, private lessons are far superior. In a private guitar lesson, your teacher can focus all of their efforts on you and this allows you to learn at your own pace. Additionally, your electric or acoustic guitar teacher does not have to instruct a class at a certain level, but has the time and focus to work on your strengths and weaknesses. This is beneficial to your teacher because they don’t have to divide their attention between five or ten guitar students at one time. With private guitar lessons your teacher can help you be the best that you can be.
2. Help Your Child to Set Goals
Goal setting is one of the most important skills to develop in order to be successful on the guitar (and life in general). To be effective, make your goals specific, measurable, and attainable. An example of setting a musical goal for yourself would be to play a particular scale at a certain speed or to have a certain number of guitar songs memorized. Another goal might be to perform in a recital. Goals are always easier to achieve when you set a deadline for them. Try setting some goals of your own and watch your progress soar!
3. Make Practicing the Guitar Easier
As with anything else in life, improving on the guitar takes practice. One of the main problems with guitar lessons can be the drudgery of practicing and the ensuing “fight” between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:
- Time. Set the same time aside every day to practice your guitar so that it becomes part of a routine or habit. This works particularly well for children. Generally speaking, the earlier in the day practicing your guitar takes place, the fewer reminders are required by a parent to get their child to practice.
- Repetition.
We use this method quite often when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young child, twenty (20) or thirty (30) minutes seems like an eternity. Instead of setting a time frame, we use repetition. For example, practice this guitar song four times every day, and this scale five times a day. A student no longer pays attention to the amount of time they are practicing their guitar, but they do become aware that if they are on repetition three, they are almost finished.
- Rewards. This works very well for both children and adult students. Some adults reward themselves with a cappuccino after a successful week of practicing their guitar. Parents can encourage children to practice by occasionally granting rewards for successful practicing. In our school, we reward young children for a successful week of practicing with stars and stickers on their work, but praise still tends to be the most coveted reward. There is no substitute for a job well done. We also must realize that we are all human and sometimes have a less than stellar week of practice. In this case there is always next week.
4. How Young is Too Young. Starting at the Right Age
Adults can start any instrument at any time. An adult’s success is based on how willing they are committed to practicing. We teach many beginner guitar students in their sixties and their seventies. For children, starting guitar at the right age is a key element to their success. If a child starts guitar lessons too soon, they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop their lessons. The last thing that you want to do is to turn a child off to guitar because they had one unpleasant experience (which could have been prevented). Sometimes if the child waits a year to start their guitar lessons, frustrations may be avoided and progress may be much faster. The following are some guidelines we have found to be successful in determining how young a child can start taking music lessons on a particular instrument.
- Bassoon – age 10
- Cello – age 10
- Clarinet – age 8
- Drums – age 6
- Flute – age 7
- French Horn – age 10
- Guitar – age 7
- Keyboard – age 5
- Oboe – age 10
- Piano – age 5
- Saxophone – age 8
- Trombone – age 9
- Trumpet – age 8
- Tuba – teenage and older
- Violin – age 5
- Voice – age 5
5. How Much Should I Be Reading the Notes?
This is a very interesting topic. There are several different approaches to the study of guitar. Some involve pure note reading and rhythms, while others utilize the ability of the ear. The bottom line is how well you play the guitar. This may be achieved by note reading, using the ear, or a mix of the two. If your teacher determines that you are a visual learner, an approach based heavily on note and rhythm reading with some ear training mixed in would work well. If your guitar teacher determines that you are an aural (ear) learner, a program based heavily on ear playing tempered with some note and rhythm reading would be appropriate. The right frame of mind is crucial for optimal learning. Therefore, catering to your learning strengths will ensure that you get the most out of your guitar lessons.
6. Bonus – Have Fun Playing the Guitar!
Guitar should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. Try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace. The key is to b
e able to enjoy the journey.
Music Lessons (click below for link)
- Bass Guitar Lessons
- Brass Lessons
- Drum Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- In Home Lessons
- Keyboard Lessons
- Piano Lessons
- String Lessons
- Voice Lessons
- Woodwind Lessons
Are All Music Studios The Same?
Studio Comparison List (click here)
REGISTER NOW FOR ACOUSTIC OR ELECTRIC GUITAR LESSONS!
Ardmore Location
692 Pont Reading Road
Ardmore, PA 19003
(next to John’s Sneakers)
610-658-5284
Springfield Location
353 Baltimore Pike (2nd floor)
Springfield, PA 19064
(next to Chuck E. Cheese)
610-658-5284
In Home Guitar Lessons
These Main Line, Delaware County and Montgomery County acoustic and electric guitar lessons are given in the convenience of your own home.
610-658-5284