Great songs, great players, great fun!

Our faculty of teaching artists, extraordinary guitarists and professional musicians themselves, lead this program with a fun, multi-layered, and immediately gratifying approach to learning guitar. Young folks learn to play a wide variety of cool tunes from folk, rock, pop, and world music. Each song purposefully stretches new muscles and teaches new skills in an authentic and memorable way.

We expect that young folks work and play at each level for up to a year, mastering skills and becoming confident learners and players. Through the guitar, we foster holistic musical understanding and a true love for music. We teach young folks how to: create good tone, establish steady beat, play in rhythm, and internalize melody and song.

At the Old Town School of Folk Music, learning within the social environment is core to our approach. The musical conversation of a classroom, of a jam, of our school inspires, motivates, teaches our youth and their families to live musical lives! Come participate in that magic!

When you go to the Old Town School of Folk Music, you are learning something bigger than the guitar. Surrounded by the thousands of musicians who play on our stages, climb our steps, jam in our lobbies, we come from something larger-a rich history, an evolving tradition, a living culture of folks from around Chicago and the world coming together to create music.

Our Goals for Young Guitarists:

Young folks will learn to hear, to internalize music. As young folks refine their listening skills, they will learn to feel rhythm, internalize pulse, and remember melody.

Young folks will discover and develop their own musicality, and identify themselves as creative musicians.

Young folks will master a rich and varied repertoire, rooted in the traditions of diverse global and American communities.

In a social learning environment, young folks will learn how they learn. They will learn to articulate the learning process; and as they transfer knowledge to tackle new challenges, young folks will consider themselves lifelong musical learners of a growth mindset!

Have You Been to The Jam? »

All ages and levels learn from one another-tunes, instruments, and musical styles. An important part of our kids' music curriculum, the work in class prepares you to play at the Jam, and the Jam, in turn, strengthens musicality and motivates learning! The Jam is a place to DO music each week!

Jams »   

Guitar Together - a place to begin!! »

Take your family band to the next level! Come together to learn guitar. An amazing collaborative learning experience that develops important musicianship skills like listening and understanding form and part work.

Guitar Together - Parent/Child Guitar Class »