The Basics of Sound, Through Music
Before we can learn about music, we must first learn about sound. But diving into the world of sound opens up an array of disciplines that would take a long time to cover: physics, fluid dynamics, anatomy, psychology, and a bit of philosophy. To save you some time, we...
Zoom & Google Meet Best Practices for Guitar Teachers
Here are some tips, resources, and best practices for using Zoom or Google Meet to teach your virtual guitar class. Need help teaching online guitar lessons? Learn more and apply as a teacher here. General Video Best Practices Use a separate webcam to display left and...
TrueSpeed™ Autoscroll
All we've ever wanted to do was play guitar hands-free. We hated stopping to turn the page, stopping to scroll down the lyrics, or hitting those stupid "+/-" buttons because current autoscrolls are either too slow or too fast. So we took to the drawing board and we're...
Guitar Class Rubrics & Assessment
One of the best things about working for Moosiko is that I get to talk with a lot of school guitar teachers. Since many guitar teachers are either new to guitar or new to the K12 education environment, the most common question they ask me is, "What kind of rubric...
Guitar Germ Hand Washing Experiment
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moosiko ran a number of experiments to determine how germs spread from students to guitars. You can read about our first experiment here. In our second experiment with glo germ and a UV flashlight, we wanted to test how effective washing...
Guitar Germ Cleaning Experiment
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an experiment with glo germ and a UV flashlight to see how germs spread to a guitar after playing. We tried a few different cleaning techniques to see which was most effective. Our research helped hundreds of guitar teachers...
Moving at Their Own Pace: How to Best Support Students in Guitar Class
Teaching group guitar lessons is tough because students move at different paces when learning an instrument. Part of the problem is that using a typical syllabus or curriculum provides a linear, rigid learning path that assumes everyone moves at the same speed. Of...
Which Guitar Method Should You Use in Your Class?
At Moosiko, we've always remained method agnostic because we feel there are many great ways to teach guitar. Over hundreds of conversations with guitar teachers and music educators, we've learned that each guitar instructor has their own preference for curriculum...
It’s All About Data
The data tidal wave seems to be crashing over the education system. Superintendents, principals, and researchers are demanding data to evaluate the effectiveness of programs, platforms, and initiatives. We understand how overwhelming this can feel as a teacher and we...
8 Dog Training Tips for Your Guitar Class
In our approach to creating more effective learning and teaching methods, we have always been drawn to other similar disciplines such as coaching in sports, habit building in behavioral psychology, and animal training to fully understand the underlying principles of...
10 Resources for Band Teachers
Band instruction is not easy. Band instructors have to be a jack of all trades, in a way, but even jacks of all trades need support. There is a lack of support for band teachers, so we wanted to do our part to help give you resources to make teaching more effective....
Getting Students Hooked Quick in the Key of G
The first few months of learning an instrument are the most important. This is the time where students will decide whether they like the instrument and if it’s for them. Many students begin learning guitar because the music they like has prominent guitar parts....
How to Create Your Own Guitar Talent Hotbed
Talent hotbeds are places around the world that consistently pump out world class performers. These hotbeds aren’t located where you might expect. They aren’t found in prestigious universities, professional training camps, or with celebrity coaches. Rather they are...
10 Fun Activities for Teaching Guitar Remotely
Click to download the PDF Learn Your Favorite Theme Song Ask students to pick their favorite movie, TV show, or video game theme song to learn. These are often simple, easily identifiable melodies. Have them record it and pay a game to see if other students can guess...
Moosiko Strives for Equity
The disparity in access to education has been highlighted by the COVID-19 crisis. Now more than ever, educators are faced with the harsh reality that some students don’t have the same support and resources as others. As a vendor providing tools, products, and support...
What Kind of Learner is Your Student?
Hans Jensen, a world renowned cello teacher in Chicago, is sometimes referred to as a talent whisperer. People travel from all over the country just to have a single practice session with him. Jensen, as with many other great coaches and teachers, has an extraordinary...
Moosiko in the News | April 2020
Moosiko has been featured in some great periodicals recently! We received an honest review from F-Flat Books, a fantastic resource for music teachers. They also have a Facebook group to join here. "I love that with this site, I can setup a class and see how much my...
All About That Bass to Abbey Road
Guitarists are needed in every genre. From rock, to pop, and country to musical theatre, there is a huge call for guitarists at all times. In a hyper-competitive world, however, it’s important that guitarists are marketable. The best way to ensure your students’...
Online Learning: How Do Guitar Instructors Survive COVID-19?
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on guitar instructor businesses, many of whom rely on in-person lessons for a good portion of their income. A number of instructors we've recently spoken with have seen a 60% - 80% drop in their business and are now scrambling for online...
Student Insights: Motivation Killers
This is the first of a series of posts called ‘Student Insights’ where Moosiko polls guitar students to better understand how, as instructors, we can help them learn and progress. Learning an instrument requires motivation. In this day and age, it can be difficult to...