Children learn to focus their attention for sustained periods
Improves Motor Coordination
Performing music is one of the most demanding fine motor skill activities and helps children develop strength and coordination
Better Social Skills
When children make music in a group, they learn to work together, be patient, encourage their peers, and lead others
Improved Reading and Language Skills
Guitar lessons speed up children’s development of speech and reading skills
Develop Empathy
Making music together increases empathy, allowing children to thrive in all areas of life.
Higher Grades
Research has shown connections between music lessons and nearly every measure of academic achievement!
Self-Discipline
Learning the guitar requires hours of concentration and patience. Children learn to persevere through good and bad times
Problem Solving and Project Management
In guitar lessons, children master skills and strategies for learning that they can transfer to all areas of life.
Joy
Learning to create and share music leads to increased happiness and self-esteem!
“My son has been taking guitar lessons with Dr. Lougheed for eleven years. It is absolutely amazing how much he gained in skill and self-confidence. The instruction is very individualized and balanced between learning techniques and acquiring expressivity.”
WHAT LESSONS LOOK LIKE
Lessons at Dr. Ben’s Guitar Academy are fun first.
For younger students especially, a lesson should feel like the best part of the week, something they ask to come back to. I use many strategies and activities to engage children’s natural tendency to learn through play. Progress happens because children are engaged, not because they are pushed. Every lesson is built around the individual child in the room, and if something isn’t working, we try something else.
Parents are encouraged to sit in on lessons, and for young children, being there makes a real difference. No musical experience is required; I’ll teach you everything you need to know.
This studio is a good fit if you have a child between 4 and 12 who has shown any interest in music or guitar and you want them to learn in a warm, encouraging environment.
The free intro lesson costs nothing and tells you everything: you will see how your child responds to the instrument, get a feel for how lessons work, and leave with no obligation.
“In one word, Ben is extraordinary! In many more: Ben’s approach to teaching is inspiring and his love for music shows in his passion for teaching. He has a calm, disciplined and approachable demeanor that invites students of all ages to connect with him as a relatable teacher. He not only teaches “notes”, he teaches artistry. He talks to and with the students, not at them. Having observed class, I see that his lessons go beyond music, and he shares lessons that relate to life. Ben is a wonderful influence, and my daughter’s life is enriched because of Ben.
ABOUT DR. BEN
I have been teaching guitar for 15 years, hold a Doctor of Music degree, and have completed the most rigorous Suzuki teacher training available, making me the only guitar teacher in the country to hold both credentials. I am regularly invited around the nation to guest teach and perform, and my students have won prizes in dozens of competitions and been admitted to schools like New England Conservatory, Stanford, and MIT.
But what matters most is whether a child walks out of a lesson feeling capable and excited to come back. That is what I have spent fifteen years doing to become one of the best guitar teachers in the country at just that.
“Dr. Ben is the most generous, friendly, patient, and understanding person that I have ever met in my life. Meeting him has truly changed my life for the better. I would not be the person I am today without him. I’m so thankful that my mom randomly asked me if I wanted to play the guitar one day. Getting to know and bond with Ben throughout the years has been one of the most memorable moments of my life and has built one of the best relationships I have had in my life.
