It’s Summer Camp Time – Rock n Roll style! The Rolling Stones once sang “Summer’s here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy…” in their 1960s anthem “Street Fightin’ Man.” Now that might happen for GOP convention delegates in Cleveland this summer, but that’s not the plan we have for your

When it comes to learning a musical instrument, are you a performer or a perfectionist? Do you aim to know every nuance of your piano, guitar, bass or drums? If so, then you could be a perfectionist. Other students come to us with a ready-for-the-stage personality that is built for performing. You know, one of

Meet Gian-Paolo DiBerardo, SMA Drum Instructor Many of the students who join Scottsdale Music Academy do so in part for the musical knowledge of our instructors. Take for instance Gian-Paolo DiBerardo, our drum instructor. Here’s a guy who’s lived and breathed drums for much of his life, and our talented students are now able to

Understanding Chord Progressions We spend quality time on understanding chord progressions with our students at Scottsdale Music Academy. Figuring out how to put notes together is one way to start, but the ability to put these notes together into chord progressions that make sense is the next step. Sometimes our students play single note melodies

Seeking a Career in Music? For years, our music students have looked to us for ways to turn their musical passions into something more than a hobby. Music students like the ones at Scottsdale Music Academy are keen on making music an integral part of their professional lives. Some students are perfectly suited for the

Meet Katie Gibbs, a 17-yr.old student at Scottsdale Music Academy. Katie is working with our music instructors on developing her skills on bass guitar and drums, while also occasionally taking guitar lessons in Scottsdale. She’s an energetic teen who’s been playing and performing with us for four years. Katie initially started with Scottsdale Music Academy

What You Need to Know Before Buying A Guitar Most guitar students in our Scottsdale Music Academy usually come equipped with their own acoustic or electric guitar to get started on lessons with us. Fortunately, most of the students have done research beforehand to make sure they got the right guitar for their needs. In

It’s All in The Rhythm! Learning how to play guitar may come quickly to some students, but mastering the instrument can take years. That’s why it’s important that young guitarists learn to master the art of rhythm guitar playing. What’s in the rhythm, you ask? Everything! Playing good rhythm guitar is the foundation for any

4 Must-Have Keyboard Tools To Enrich Your Sound and Skills No matter where you look in life, you’ll find that every successful figure in history has had a particular tool or resource that they’ve relied on to help bring them to greatness and turn them into the legends they are now. For musicians, the same

 Art or Skill? When starting lessons, many new guitar players (or piano students, etc.) often choose to make the necessary technical proficiency their main priority. For years, it’s been taught that knowing more chord patterns, playing faster scales and dedicating your learning to technique and technical prowess is the way to go. If it’s the

Develop Your Songwriting in 6 Easy Steps Songwriting is a natural evolution of learning one’s instrument over time. As a student taking guitar or piano lessons in Scottsdale, your proficiency on your instrument grows over time. Eventually, you are able to learn whole songs to play. And then, an urge to write your own music.