Riverside Blog

11 years ago, after taking my then 6 month old son for a walk, I had a vision for a music teaching business that was welcoming to families, celebrated music and served the community. Up until that point I had been a gigging freelance musician but as my wife andRead More

Twice a week I have the honor of teaching a private lesson to my guitar student Ira Faden at the Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids. Ira is always curious about the guitar and never intimidated. When I arrive at our lesson Ira grabs his guitar and usually starts playingRead More

I just finished reading this excellent book and wanted to recommend it. I have been a lover of jazz music ever since I took a jazz appreciation class at Knollcrest Music Camp in 8th grade and the teacher recommended purchasing Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I made that purchaseRead More

Learning how to practice is probably the most difficult thing to learn, yet most critical part of growing as a musician. I am sharing my thoughts and experiences with practice to try to make it a less daunting task. Routine It’s important to have a routine or habit of practice.Read More

Riverside Guitar School had its first Practice Lab event from 3-7pm on Tuesday, December 20. Riverside staff were excited to premier this new program and offer an open-ended learning experience for students during the winter break. Students of all ages and levels dropped in to work on their current musicRead More

Many people feel intimidated at the thought of a group class, and this is a very understandable feeling since most of us aren’t in the habit of playing music with others. I’ve been in a few group situations throughout my journey as a musician over the past 25 years thatRead More

Beginning guitarists often learn a first way to play a chord and understandably associate that shape as the way to play that chord. To move beyond this basic  understanding of a chord and how to play it on the guitar you have to begin thinking of a chord as aRead More

Once a month I get together with our private lesson students in a group setting called studio class so we can play a piece of music for each other and do some learning about music history and theory. We have been exploring the life and works of Beethoven for theRead More

Submit an idea for a new name for Southtown Guitar.Read More

key of GRead More

key of GRead More

key of GRead More

There is great uncertainty in running a small business as there is in all of life. Will I find any new students this week? Will our current students re-up for another round of lessons? Read on to see how an anhinga teaches me important lessons about uncertainty.Read More

Ode to Joy – guitar     download a PDF of the music for Ode to Joy – guitar Download a PDF of the music for Ode to Joy – piano Ode to Joy comes from the 4th movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.Read More

Download a PDF of this song here: Go, Tell It On the MountainRead More

Download the music hereRead More

Download the music here.Read More

Download the lead sheet here: Oh_My_Darling,_Clementine_banjo tabRead More

Download a lead sheet here: Oh!_Susanna banjoRead More

Southtown Guitar is putting on a Lessons & Carols service at Calvin Christian Reformed Church on December 8 at 6:30pm. Our folk orchestra will accompany the congregational singing for 5 songs during the service and is open to any/all instruments. This is an opportunity to be a part of anRead More

Download a lead sheet w/tab for Just FriendsRead More

Download the lead sheet Download the chord chartRead More

Download the lead sheet w/tab Download the chord chartRead More

Download the chord melody solo Download the chord chartRead More

Download the Music Download the Picking PatternRead More

Download the Lead Sheet w/tabbed melody Download the Chord ChartRead More

Download the music Download the picking interludeRead More

Download Music for Morning Has Broken Download Strum PatternRead More

I (Kristina) first played a Martin guitar at a local music store in Michigan. Having seen one of the brand’s well-loved instruments make an appearance at an old-time jam, I wanted to hear the unaccompanied sound of a Martin acoustic guitar’s voice for myself. So without paying too much attentionRead More

Summer Pass is back!available now 13 lessons this summer for our lowest price all year Get your music on between June 1 and Aug 31 for prices as low as $15 per lesson. Buy Now What You Get 13 Private Lessons There are 13 weeks of summer, so attend oneRead More

Hi, I’m Dean, CEO of Southtown Guitar. I’m working on improving our lessons program and am doing some research as an initial step.  Would you be willing to offer your thoughts about private music lessons in this 12 question survey? As a thank-you, you’ll receive a coupon code for 75%Read More

Earlier this year I read A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business by Ari Weinzweig.  In addition to writing about 10 books, Ari is one of the co-founders of a food business in Ann Arbor called Zingerman’s.  Zingerman’s makes about $60 million annually, has served sandwiches to Oprah andRead More

We are excited to announce that we were named to lessons.com’s list of the best guitar teachers in Grand Rapids in 2018!  Here is an excerpt a letter from Paul Mazzola, founder of lessons.com: “Hey Dean, I’m excited to announce that you’ve been named Best of Lessons.com in 2018. Congratulations!Read More

  I recently wrote a song based on Romans 15:7 which was the year verse at my kids’ school this past year. You can download the song at my bandcamp page or you can listen using the play bar above. My goal was to put the verse to music toRead More

I love reading and recently finished a book by John Holt called Instead of Education.  One of the ideas that John talked about in the book was “reality of encounter” — basically being real with people.  He was talking about reality of encounter in the context of schools — doesRead More