more fun, less work; more play, less talk
Testimonials
This is the master video montage we made summarizing what students are saying about the lessons. If you only watch 1 video here, let it be this one.
Hilary is a professor at Ithaca College who is now in a very popular band and is making great progress on the guitar. She says:
“Dennis has all the characteristics of a master teacher. He has a thought-out plan for each lesson, adapts to students’ needs, is patient, has a good sense of humor, and is innovative. His rotating format keeps things fresh, and even in group classes and jam sessions, he still individualizes the lessons to your needs. His audio CDs are a great learning tool and his commuter audio series allows me to ‘practice’ while driving to and from the lessons. My understanding of the fretboard has allowed me to really learn how to play rather than simply memorize songs and chords. The amoun that I learned from Dennis in 3 months is more than I learned in 3 years with my former teacher. Dennis is the real deal.”
Taylor is also a Ph.D. student at Cornell and started as almost a complete beginner and now can jam with virtually anyone.
Ulric is teenager who plays heavy metal. His favorite part of the lessons, which is a favorite part for most students, is the hands-on approach.
This is Doug, who is a highly experienced guitarist who used to play in regularly gigging bands in the 80s and 90s.
Andrew is a very creative kid who plays and sings at his school’s talent shows and is now learning to play lead guitar.
His mom says that he “has made a huge amount of progress in a very short time. Every time he interacts with Dennis he comes home really enthused and motivated. He plays with his dad now and the whole family has benefitted greatly from the lessons.”
Jude has been playing for a very long time and was ready to learn some new songs and new techniques, which, as she says here, proved to be very refreshing for her musically.
Kara is a Cornell Ph.D. student who knows that playing guitar is a great hobby she can use to take a break from studying or lab work.
Dan is very active on the Ithaca music scene. As he says in this video, he views his lessons “like going to GIT [Guitar Institute of Technology]” or something equivalent to that. 🙂
This testimonial is from a compete beginner named Yue. Look how much she learned after only 1 month of lessons!
Sergio’s testimonial shows how even more advanced guitarists can make significant changes in their technique that can help them grow as musicians by leaps and bounds as a result of taking lessons.
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Listen to what Tim and Barb both say about how you can get better and have fun even while being a busy adult without much time for guitar.
Matt works at Cornell and is coming along nicely on guitar, even writing his own songs.
Brian and Kaye talk about how the lessons are motivating and fun, and rich with content but never overwhelming.
Demetri is a creative kid who never liked reading music, which he was forced to (and at the exclusion of other aspects of guitar playing) for a long time before coming to Guitar Lessons Newfield. He is much happier now writing songs and engaging his imagination.
Art has been playing guitar for many decades but had many questions about how to put it all together. He is so much more confident now and performs with his wife.
Michele is a professional flute player who wanted to expand her horizons and came to Dennis to learn how to play jazz. She is one of the few students who is not a guitarist.
“Dennis is wonderful at helping me accomplish the goals I’ve set for myself and I highly recommend him as a music teacher. Although I’m not a guitar student, I’ve had Dennis work with me to help develop my skills with jazz. He makes lessons both interesting and challenging yet never leaves me feeling discouraged or feeling that that something is too difficult. I love that he gives me many strategies for learning new pieces, for developing my ear, and for improving my competence as a jazz musician (rhythmically, technically, harmonically, etc). I especially like that everything we work at gets applied in the context of playing real tunes – nothing is ever given in isolation without going on to the application of the skill during the lesson. I’ve been working with Dennis for 5 years now and continue to look forward to each lesson with him. “
Wayne is a well-known guitarist throughout the area and came to our school to become a better soloist. Like many students, he found other areas that automatically improved as well as his primary area of focus.
“Dennis is an excellent instructor. He has been super patient with my 8 year old daughter yet still pushes her to give her best and keep at it when she becomes discouraged. I would recommend Dennis to anyone looking to learn an instrument or even to just improve upon their skills as a musician.” – Hank B.
When I first came to Dennis I knew a lot of things (chords, picking, soloing techniques) but I didn’t know how to put any of it together, and I had so many bad habits, it was horrible! I couldn’t play with anybody because I couldn’t play songs in rhythm. Three years later, with steady guidance from Dennis, I have my own band and have been going to jam sessions. My soloing still needs work, but overall I’m having a great time on the guitar.” – Dan W.