The A.C. Hunter Public Library is providing free four-week beginner guitar lessons that are open to everyone.
Clifton Tam
Kicker
From March 1-22, every Wednesday afternoon, the A.C. Hunter Library will offer two-hour basic guitar sessions from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The only requirement is that each enrollee have a guitar, a tuner and a pick when joining the class. All of these items can be borrowed from the musical instrument lending library.
Julia Mayo, an adult program coordinator at A.C. Hunter Public Library, says the purpose of the program is to get people started on guitar.
“It gives them a chance to try without having a huge monetary investment,” Mayo said. “Whenever we can make it possible for free, everything at the library is free.”
However, Mayo says space is limited and the library will prioritize people on the waitlist.
In the past, the library has held similar workshops seasonally, but she said offerings depend on the availability of instructors. More details are available on the library website.
Even if people are not able to attend the workshop, Mayo says that there are resources available at the library that can access with their library cards.
John Pike, a guitar enthusiast who teaches the guitar lessons, says age should not restrict people from learning an instrument; it is all about attitude.
“Practice makes perfect? No, it doesn’t,” Pike said. “Practice makes permanent, and then you have to practice perfectly.”
“Nothing will happen if you don’t practise,” Pike said.
People also need to manage their expectations, Pike said. He noted the 10,000-hour rule, referring to the time it takes to master an instrument.
Speaking from his experience, Pike says some adult learners can lack confidence when first starting, telling themselves they can’t do it, which he says is not true.
“The only dumb question is the question they didn’t ask,” said Pike.
Pike enjoys teaching guitar and interacting with students. While the workshop is relatively short with only eight hours of class time in total, he plans to teach the most fundamental and useful knowledge of playing guitar while encouraging students to have fun with each other.
“Relax and have fun,” Pike advises students. “People always learn better when they’re having fun.”
About the Author
Clifton Tam is a student journalist studying at College of North Atlantic. He loves sharing stories related to people’ lives.
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