Why Choose The Guitar Academy
Of Western North Carolina
Over Other Area Music Schools?

Choosing the right music school and instructor can be a daunting task for anyone starting music lessons.  Many area music schools and instructors simply do not possess the musical and technical knowledge or have the teaching experience to give their students great value for the prices they charge.  We pride ourselves in giving the very BEST guitar lesson experience and value available.  Here are ten questions you should ask potential music schools and instructors BEFORE you begin music lessons.

1.  Where did the instructor receive his/her music education?  Do they have a university music degree or did they receive their music education from a local music store?  All Guitar Academy instructortors hold advanced degrees in their field of study.  Michael Ridenour (Director/Guitar) holds an M.M. in guitar performance from Appalachian State University and Kevin Lampson (Bass) holds an M.M. in bass performance from Morehead State University.

2.  How long has the instructor been teaching?  Guitar Academy instructors have decades of private studio as well as public/private school and college/university level teaching experience.  Some of the institutions our instructors have held faculty positions at are the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Blue Ridge Community College, Appalachian State University, Moorehead State University, Rowen County (KY) Senior High School, Veritas Christian Academy, as well as a host of clinics, university scholarship adjudications, and master classes.

3.  Is the instructor you are considering an active performer?  If an instructor is going to teach their students how to perform then should they not be active performers themselves?  Our instructors have decades of combined performing experience and currently perform several hundred engagements each year.  Take a moment to "Google" the instructor's name and instrument.  If they are truly the active performers they claim to be then you will confirm that with your Internet search.

4.  What types of performing opportunities does the music school or instructor have for their students?  Everything we do at the Guitar Academy is performance driven.  We hold periodic recitals as well as performance classes at the studio.  We also offer performance ensembles for rock, jazz, and various other guitar ensemble combinations that perform on a regular basis.  Many of our students perform in area bands as well as churches.  We have also had some of our students enter and place in national guitar competitions.

5.  How many instructors does the music school employ and how long have they been employed?  This might seem like a trivial question but you would be very surprised how little time most instructors stay at one particular music school.  Do you really want to start music lessons and then have your instructor up and quit within the first couple of months?  You would be amazed how many times we get this complaint from students who come to us from other music schools.  Guitar Academy instructors are selected from the best instructors in the area that have a proven track record of teaching and performance longevity.  This provides our students with consistent instruction over a very long period of time.  We also want to keep the quality level of our lessons consistant between our instructors so we seek teachers with similar teaching philosophies that are based on technique and musicianship.

6.  How many students are enrolled at the music school?  Ahh, the fluff.  Have you ever seen a music school advertise how many lessons they teach every month?  Bigger is not always better.  Here at the Guitar Academy, we limit the number of students we enroll because we are more concerned with the quality of music education than we are with the quantity of students on our rolls.

7.  What methods and concepts are included in the music lessons?  The Guitar Academy incorporates music reading, music theory, performance practice methods, and proper playing techniques into each lesson.  We provide a "balanced" music education experience in each of these areas depending on the student’s field of study and chosen instrument.

8.  Does the music school or instructor incorporate a "one size fits all" curriculum or are the lessons tailored to the students interests?  Be careful with the answer you get to this question.  Musicianship and technical playing ability are our two main goals with each and every student at the Guitar Academy.  Our instructors are NOT interested in dedicating the majority of lesson time to teach our students individual songs.  You can get song lessons for free on YouTube and that is NOT what we center our teaching philosophies around.  However, we always incorporate the songs and materials that interest our students into their lessons but they are used as tools to build musicianship and technical ability.  We produce musicians who play guitar, NOT guitar players who can’t get past "Smoke on the Water" because they never had the building blocks of musicianship and technique introduced to them early on in their lessons.  With our teaching methods, students see progress within a shorter timeframe which makes our lessons fun and keeps enthusiasm high.

9.  What other instruments does the music school or instructor teach?  At the Guitar Academy, we keep the main thing the main thing and that is guitar and bass.  We DO NOT employ instructors who teach multiple instruments.  We are more concerned with giving you the BEST instructor who is dedicated to your instrument instead of offering mediocre instruction under the guise of "convenience."  This guarantees you the highest lesson quality and value for your hard-earned dollar.

10.  What other benefits do you offer your students?  The Guitar Academy carries multiple lines of guitar and bass accessories (strings, picks, pedals, cables, amps, music books, etc.) as well as dealerships for high quality electric, acoustic, classical, and bass guitars.  We provide these at discounted prices to all of our students.  We also offer guitar maintenance and repair.  Each new student will also receive an introductory 50% discount off their first month lesson tuition.  We offer a one-stop-shop for our students educational and gear needs.

Give us a call at 828-775-7841.  We would love to hear from you and discuss your musical direction.  And remember, your first month lesson tuition is ALWAYS 50% off.