Our warm and caring teaching staff is made up of young and old alike, each an accomplished musician with the ability to relate well with others.

The private lesson format insures that the student will never get lost in a crowd. One on one attention and support is sure to bring out the best in every student.

In addition to providing a clean and comfortable environment for learning, Garrett's offers ample opportunity to perform solos, duets, ensembles and combos in our store recitals.

Terms & Tuition:
Lesson tuition is $40/month.
You get one half hour lesson each week.
Payment is due on the 1st lesson day; it is past due on the 10th of the month.
In the event that the teacher is absent, Garrett Music will provide a substitute teacher.
Sorry, lessons may not be rescheduled.

Frequently Asked Questions:
Is one lesson per week enough?
Yes, due to the one on one format of our lessons, a great deal can be accomplished in 30 minutes. This is not to say that 30 minutes of playing per week is enough, however. Students will need to practice on a regular basis. 20 minutes per day, 5 days per week, is good for a young beginner. 20 minutes of practice time, three days per week should be considered the minimum.

How old does a child have to be to start music lessons?
Here at Garrett's, we have no age limits for our students. However, a child's development level will dictate what goals are reasonable for young learners. Many of the wind instruments require having front teeth to get a good sound. Children who start playing an instrument with their baby teeth will experience about six months where they won't be able to play until their permanent teeth come in. A child's attention span should also be considered since private lessons last 30 minutes. Progressive school districts usually start music in the fourth grade.

Can we start lessons now or do we have to wait until the first of the month?
You can enroll at any time. We will only charge you for the weeks remaining in the month should you begin lessons mid-month. After that first month, tuition will be for the entire month.

When do I need to pay?
Tuition must be received at the time of enrollment. After the first month, tuition will be due on the first lesson day of the month and considered past due on the 10th day of the month.

What if I can't make it to a lesson, can I make it up some other time?
Sorry, we do not reschedule lessons. Over the course of a year, you will receive four lessons for free. This is because some months will have five weeks instead of four, but your tuition will remain at only $40/month. These free lessons will make up for both holidays as well as days you may not be at lessons due to illness or vacation.

Do you put on recitals?
Yes, we host in house recitals monthly that are known as "Club Dates." 
The Club Dates are cabaret seating and are held in our store after closing or on the sidewalk depending on the time of year. This intimate setting is very comfortable for the guests without intimidating the performers.
Watch for upcoming recitals in the newsletter or on our website here at www.garrettmusic.com. If you would like to perform in one of our recitals, sign up through your instructor. Performances are a wonderful experience, but students are not required or forced to participate.

Linnea is currently enrolled at Grossmont Community College as a music major.  In addition to Guitar she plays Alto Sax and Drums.  She is currently a member of the Grossmont Community College Classical Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of Fred Benedetti. Linnea has tutored students in Music Theory I and in the various guitar classes that Grossmont offers.  She also established a music club at the college, known as Melodia.

Nathan started out playing electric guitar, but along the line he switched over to classical guitar.  He attends Grossmont College, studies with George Svoboda and Fred Benedetti, and should complete his music performance associates degree by spring of 2006.  "...I will most likely transfer to SDSU, and go for a Masters and PhD in music.  I'm interested in a wide variety of musical styles, and generally in my lessons I teach whatever is desired.  If a more rock style is desired, or a classical one, or jazz, I will go in that direction (though it usually ends up being classical in most cases, which is good for me because that is what I'm best at as of now)." 

"Some of my favorite artists are: Liszt, The Doors, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Wes Montgomery, Barrios, Jobim, Tarrega, Bach, Debussy, Reverend Bizarre, Johnny Cash, Burt Bacharach, Judas Priest, Immortal, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Snoop Dogg, 2pac, Discharge, Abba (yes it's true) and many others."

"Outside of music (though certainly interrelated), I enjoy literature / philosophy / science (I will probably end up getting a minor in science, and a bachelor's in philosophy in addition to music since I have already done some of this previously at U C Irvine.  Some of my favorite authors / poets / philosophers / thinkers at this time are: Camus, Proust, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Spinoza, Ortega Y Gasset, Schopenhauer, Wittgenstein, Holderlin, Goethe, Navalis, Heinrich Von Kleist, Francis Bacon, Petrarch, Horace, Dante, Dostoevsky, Derrida, Heinlein, Asimov, Tolkien, Sturluson, and so on."

"In the future I wish to be doing what I'm doing now, only much better."