FAQfaq
guitar FAQ
guitar
mexico travel
San Miguel de Allende safety
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FAQFrequently Asked QuestionsPerhaps we should say, "Questions we think you should ask!"Instruction:
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Travel:
Spanish:
Instruction:Why should I study with you?If you like the way we play the guitar, and you would like to learn how to play the way we do, we'll be happy to show you as much as you can absorb. Listen to the sample MP3s on the "Our Music" page, and see if you like what we do! We don't just show you where to put your fingers; we teach an entire way of thinking about music, and you can read more about that here. (top) Where did you each get your training? We both studied classical guitar (and for Jack, classical piano also) as kids and as teenagers, with private teachers only. Neither of us has a degree in music; Frances has degrees in Biology and English, while Jack has a degree in "How to Make a Living as a Musician" from the School of Hard Knocks. Jack studied with private teachers in New York and Washington DC, and Frances in the Bay Area of Northern California. We both continued to study privately into adulthood, and have continued to do so, studying harmony, counterpoint, raga, music history and world music even while also studying other fields as diverse as yoga, plant genetics and English literature. See our bios page for more information. (top) What is your teaching philosophy? First of all, our commitment to you is that you’ll have FUN playing with us. Secondly, we find that technical development (right hand and left hand technique) go hand-in-hand (pun intended) with development of musical knowledge. Therefore, musical knowledge is the foundation of our approach. We'll give you as much practical music theory as you're up for. For more information click here. (top) What if I don't read music? If you have an open mind toward learning, then we'll be happy to work with you. We have worked with many students who don't read music but who have begun with us. Music reading is an acquired skill which requires time to develop, much more than a week. In each daily session, we'll devote a half hour to music reading, which, like learning any language, gets easier as you do it. The rest of the time we'll devote to working on specific pieces or songs, and matters of technique and musical knowledge. We'll also do plenty of playing guitar together! (top) Can I send my teenager? Yes. We enjoy working with teens very much. If your teen is under the age of 18, we require that you or another responsible adult accompany him or her to San Miguel. You may inquire about our discount for young students. (top) What are the youngest / oldest aged students you will accept? Youngest: Children younger than ten years old often do not have strong enough fingers to press the strings, and this is the limiting factor for young children. If your 8-year-old has large, strong hands (in your opinion), and is clear that he or she wishes to learn the guitar, then we will teach him or her. If a child makes a strong request to study the guitar, and is adamant that he or she does not want to study some other instrument, we believe that request should be honored. However, children younger than 8 will do generally do better in a group singing program, or may perhaps want to study piano, which children as young as four can learn. We do teach many teenagers, and have worked with a number of children in the age range of 10 to 12. Oldest: We have worked with adults as old as 70 who already have some previous experience with the guitar. In fact, several of our students have been older adults who were returning to the guitar after many years. However, we don't teach adult beginners unless they have taken at least several months of private lessons. (top) Can you really learn much in a week? We calculate that one week with us is equivalent to 5 months of weekly half-hour lessons in your local music store. Here's what one of our students had to say: "A year later and I am still working off of the foundation you set. The one-on-one is unique from the other camps. Your knowledge of the guitar and the way you share your knowledge is as good as I've seen." (Jennifer, 2007) All the same, a week is only a week. What we really hope is that we will plant the seeds of a musical practice which will then unfold for you over a several year period of growth. You will certainly have a memorable experience, and probably you will be exposed to some significantly new and perhaps un-familiar musical ideas. If you can make room in your life for a significant amount of music practice, then you will continue to benefit for a long time. Besides, the real rate of your progress depends on one primary factor: the amount of practice time you can afford or are willing to commit in your real life. This is something that we can give you a taste of during your Guitar Vacation Retreat, but the real test comes when you return to your ordinary routines and your day job! Will it be a half hour a day, two hours a day, or six to eight hours a day? You will decide for yourself just what level of passion and dedication you are willing to put into your guitar playing, and you will get out of it what you put into it. (top) I really want to train my muscles/hands/fingers, rather than my brain, how to play guitar. Do you teach beginners like me? We'd really like to suggest that you reconsider this position. While training the muscles is valuable and necessary, to do so without training the mind is contrary to our own beliefs, attitudes, and experience about music in general, and if you are committed to that position, you probably won't be happy studying with us. The practice of music has physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual components. We teach the physical, emotional and mental components to the best of our ability. We count on the spiritual component to arise individually for any committed student; we don't claim or aspire to teach that aspect. However, to teach music without the mental components is, at the very least, not our style! (top) My child has a learning disability or is developmentally disabled. Will you teach him or her to play the guitar? No. With all sympathy for the difficulties faced by such children and by their parents, bitter experience has taught us that such children will probably not be able to grasp even very simple elements of guitar technique. We suggest that they be enrolled in a music therapy or art therapy program designed for them. (top) Do you lead Group Retreats? We have done formal group retreats in the past. Currently, we have none scheduled. However, we can create a custom Group Retreat for you: just find another person or two (up to six total) and come on down! It's a great way to save money and have fun playing with your friends. The cost of Group Retreats, for a week of instruction and activities is as follows:
What is your policy on using guitar tablature? We use, and teach the use of, staff notation. We use very minimal amounts of tablature to introduce some very basic concepts to beginners. Other than that, the very essence of what we teach is closely related to the use of staff notation and to the superior understanding of music theory which staff notation leads toward. Reading tablature is a useful skill, but it requires almost no instruction and it contains only the technical information about where to put the fingers, which is fine for a guitar player who is content to remain at the level of "monkey see, monkey do" and who is not interested in learning our practice. Our practice, and our teaching, is about a creative interaction with the music based on knowledge of the musical language of our time, and the use of tablature simply does not support this. It is also true that many classical musicians stop at the level of simply being able to read staff notation, without developing their understanding of theory, but this is not an argument for using tablature instead. Staff notation provides an excellent platform for the complete understanding of the musical relationships which make up the common language of music in our time and our culture, and tablature does not. It is common for non-musicians — and this emphatically includes many parents of guitar students — to have very romantic ideas about the "intuitive" skills of "born" musicians, and to fail to understand that a true and complete understanding of music as we understand and practice it is as rigorous a path as medicine or physics, although not valued in the same way as those professions. Yes, there are great intuitive musicians who play by ear and don't read music, such as the great gypsy guitarist Django Reinhart and many if not most flamenco players. However, even the great flamenco player Paco de Lucia, considered by some the world's greatest guitarist, decided late in life both to learn to read staff notation AND to master jazz harmony in order to accomplish his musical goals. (top) How can I best prepare for my Guitar Vacation Retreat? We work with students at all levels, and we will be happy to pick up the thread of your instruction at the level suitable for you. However, there is one very useful thing that you can do to prepare, if you have not yet done so: Learn the names of all the notes on the guitar fingerboard! We have a file in our resources folder that will help you: the Fingerboard Look-up Chart. Here also is the PDF file for printing. By all means download this chart, print it out, and study it! In order to understand the language that underlies musical sounds, it's important to know the names of the notes. Naming things allows us to talk about them. Notes with the same names have the same harmonic functions, and this functionality is not obvious when the notes are merely identified as numbered frets on certain strings. Guitarists who do not learn the names of the notes are severely handicapped when it comes to understanding harmony - don't be one of them! (top) Why do you ask for sheet music attached to my application? When you apply to us for a Guitar Vacation Retreat, we want you to understand that a big part of what we teach is the creative interpretation of sheet music — that is, music written in staff notation — through the medium of the guitar. This is in line with the philosophy of "teaching the student to fish" instead of just giving away fish. You'll be more committed to this path if you have personally taken the step of deciding on a song or a piece of instrumental guitar music that YOU want to learn, buying the sheet music and sending it to us. Then we know you are serious, and so do you. We will use this music which you have chosen to show you how to study music. It's not that we will just show you how to play the song — we will teach you how to study this song, and from that example, you can go on to study more songs — by yourself. (top) Payment:What does a Guitar Vacation Retreat cost?Current information on the cost of a Guitar Vacation Retreat is posted here. (top) What is the application procedure?
How can I pay for my Guitar Vacation Retreat, and is the payment procedure secure? At the time of booking we require a $250 USD deposit, with the balance due two weeks before your arrival. We send out invoices using PayPal, which is a secure transaction. You are also welcome to transfer funds using Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to our bank in the U.S. We accept payment in U.S. dollars (or in any of the 15 other currencies which are currently accepted by PayPal, at the current exchange rate.) We do not accept checks as a rule; we may make some exceptions if we have 60 days to clear the check before your scheduled retreat. See also the cancellation policy below. (top) What is your cancellation policy?
Yes, we'll be happy to provide you with email addresses of students who have done Guitar Vacation Retreats with us. In the meantime, please visit our testimonials page. (top) Do I need to bring my own guitar, or do you have guitars for rent? You are welcome to bring your own guitar. If you prefer not to travel with your guitar, we have our own guitars available for a $25 USD weekly rental fee. Our guitars are nylon-strung classical guitars hand-made in Paracho. We often have guitars for sale, and we can take you to Paracho to buy your own hand-made classical guitar at the end of your Guitar Vacation Retreat, if you would like yet another adventure. (top) Travel:Do I need a passport or VISA to travel to Mexico?You will probably require both. In the past, a passport was not required for US citizens crossing into Mexico, but this situation is changing. If you're from the United States and are considering a Guitar Vacation Retreat, please check the State Department website for the current requirements for travel documents. From all countries, as far as we know, you will be required to get a Tourist Visa (FMT) which you may obtain from the Mexican consulate before traveling, or from the immigration office at the airport or border crossing where you enter the country. (top) Can my spouse come too? Yes, your spouse is welcome to join us for any or all of the non-instructional activities that he or she is interested in. The spouse activity fee is $200, and it includes the round-trip shuttle service, dinner out, luthier visit, hot springs visit, and orientation materials. We’re happy to provide information for your spouse on classes, events, and possible day trips that might be of interest. No one has to be bored while you study guitar! (top) Is San Miguel de Allende safe? Common sense while traveling is important everywhere, and San Miguel is no different. Having said that, we can also say that none of our students, nor we ourselves, have ever encountered a threatening or uncomfortable situation regarding personal safety or the safety of possessions. (Bring a sturdy pair of walking shoes however, as the cobblestones can be tricky!) As a historic national monument with many tourists, San Miguel is well policed. (top) Is San Miguel hot in the summer? Summer is monsoon season in Mexico, and in San Miguel there are frequent daily rains, sometimes intense. The surrounding hills are green as a result. Temperatures are generally mild (70s to 80s Fahrenheit). The warmest month in this area is generally May. Plenty of international visitors come here in the summer! Also, many Texans come here because it's cooler than Houston or Dallas. (top) Can I fly into Mexico City (MEX) or Queretaro (QRO) instead of Leon (BJX)? Yes. We can arrange shuttle pickup from MEX for an additional $75 USD per person. Please allow extra travel time of 4 hours. There is also an additional charge for shuttle service from Queretaro, because there are fewer people flying in there. Please check with us by email for a current quote. (top) Can you recommend lodging in San Miguel de Allende? There are a variety of beautiful and luxurious bed and breakfast inns in San Miguel at a range of prices. Our three favorites, any of which we can enthusiastically recommend, are: Casa De La Cuesta Casa Don Pascual Casa Angelitos Family Homestay: If you're traveling on a budget and / or would enjoy a vivid and memorable cultural experience, we can arrange a homestay with a Mexican family for you. You'll have your own private bedroom and bathroom, plus three home-cooked meals per day. Cost is $325 (three hundred twenty five dollars) USD per person for six nights. You will have a wonderful opportunity to practice your Spanish language skills in a sympathetic and supportive environment. (top) Do I need to rent a car? We generally recommend that people don't rent cars. Everything in San Miguel is accessible by foot or by cab, and you'll have a much more relaxing vacation without having to deal with the hassle of parking in El Centro. Cabs are plentiful and inexpensive; a trip to most places in town costs about $2 USD. Also, San Miguel has a wonderful local bus system and costs 4 pesos a ride (about 40 cents USD). If you or your spouse want to do day trips or further traveling after your Guitar Vacation Retreat, there are first-class buses that go to most nearby and distant Mexican destinations. (top) Spanish:Do I need to speak Spanish?Of course it's helpful if you do... however, most of our students have little or no Spanish speaking experience before they come down. San Miguel is a foreigner-friendly city, and it isn't difficult to pick up a few helpful phrases, and it also isn't difficult to find someone to translate for you in a pinch. We do our best to help you get oriented in town (San Miguel is a small town where you can walk almost anywhere) and we make ourselves available for translation assistance when needed. (top) Can I attend Spanish school at the same time? Our Retreats are pretty intensive, and so are the Spanish schools. For this reason, we recommend that you study one week with us, and then attend Spanish language school the next week (or vice versa). Several of our students have successfully done so. (top) What language do you conduct the classes in? We teach in English (our native language) by preference. We also teach in Spanish when appropriate. (top) | |||
Last page update 09-04-08 |
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