Christmas Music: Love It or Not, It’s Everywhere Christmas music is a universal part of the holiday season. Whether you enjoy its festive cheer or prefer to avoid it until the last possible moment, there’s no denying its presence. Starting just after Thanksgiving, these melodies fill the airwaves, stores, and gatherings across the country. But […]
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Music Lesson Gift Cards
Give the Gift of Music This Holiday SeasonMusic Lesson Gift Cards from Grosse Pointe Music Academy Looking for a meaningful and memorable gift? Give your family and friends the opportunity to explore their musical interests with Music Lesson Gift Cards—a thoughtful gift that brings joy and lasts a lifetime. 🎁 Available for All Instruments: 🎶 […]
3/4 Sized Acoustic Guitar for Beginners
Guitar Lessons and Our Recommended Beginner Guitar If you or your child is just getting started on guitar, having the right size and quality instrument is crucial. Young beginners in particular benefit from using a 3/4-sized acoustic guitar, which features a smaller body and shorter neck—making it easier to reach notes and play comfortably. One […]
Piano Tuning in Metro Detroit
Keep Your Piano in Peak Condition with Professional TuningRegular piano tuning is essential for preserving sound quality and ensuring your instrument stays in optimal playing condition. Seasonal changes in temperature and humidity cause piano strings to shift tension, which gradually throws the instrument out of tune. If ignored, this can lead to long-term damage and […]
Ukulele Starter Pack
Interested in learning the ukulele? Grosse Pointe Music Academy offers private ukulele lessons for students of all ages and experience levels. The ukulele is a fun, approachable instrument that’s easy to carry and quick to pick up, making it a great choice for beginners or anyone looking to add a new sound to their musical […]
Made in Detroit: Guitars crafted from city ruins
Turning Ruins into Resonance: Detroit Guitars Crafted from Reclaimed WoodCommentary by Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff A recent feature by CBS News spotlights a powerful story of craftsmanship, creativity, and the enduring spirit of Detroit. In a city with more than 70,000 abandoned buildings, one local builder is seeing not decay—but opportunity. Mark Wallace, a […]
How to use Noteflight
Noteflight – A Recommended Tool for Music Notationby Henry Bahrou – Guitarist, Music Theorist, Music Academy Director For musicians and educators looking for a convenient way to create and share sheet music, I highly recommend exploring Noteflight. It’s a browser-based music notation platform that I personally use, and it’s proven to be both user-friendly and […]
3 String Guitars
Why I Recommend Loog Guitars for Young StudentsBy Henry Bahrou, Director – Grosse Pointe Music Academy What began as a Kickstarter® concept has evolved into a truly impressive product line: the Loog guitar. Originally praised for its simplicity—reducing the guitar to just three strings—Loog guitars have become a game-changer for early music education. I recently […]
Free Sheet Music on new Guitar Ensemble Site
Looking for Great Guitar Sheet Music? If you’ve landed here searching for downloadable guitar ensemble arrangements or solo/duet sheet music, you may have been redirected from an old post referencing the now-defunct website writtenforguitar.com. While that specific site is no longer available, we’re happy to help guide you toward quality music resources and share how […]
Why Do We Remember Old Pop Songs But Forget Where Our Keys Are?
Music and the Brain: A Reflection on Memory and MelodyBy Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff Music has long fascinated scientists and educators for its unique impact on the human brain. One of the most compelling findings in recent years is how music can awaken memory in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Even when names and faces […]
Make music when practicing
Make Music When You PracticeBy Henry Bahrou The title of this blog is inspired by a key message from Mark Levine’s well-known Jazz Theory Book. While Levine’s advice is often geared toward jazz musicians, I believe it applies equally to anyone learning any style of music: you should always make music while practicing. It’s common […]
Band in a Box
Band-in-a-Box: A Great Tool for MusiciansBy Henry Bahrou – Guitarist, Music Theorist, Music Academy Director Yesterday, I mentioned the mid-90s Roland PMA-5, a pioneering device that allowed musicians to compose music on the go. Today, a comparable — and much more powerful — option for musicians is Band-in-a-Box by PG Music. Band-in-a-Box is a popular […]
Ukulele Christmas
Guitar Players, Piano Players, Violin players, and all instrumentalists have enjoyed picking up the Ukulele and learning to strum simple chord accompaniments. Relatively speaking, Ukulele is an easy instrument with only 4 strings. Everybody thinks that the ukulele came from Hawaii. Well, while it’s true that the word ukulele is a Hawaiian word (it means, […]
What should I do about poor rhythm?
By Henry Bahrou – Guitarist, Music Theorist, Music Academy Director The key to understanding rhythm—especially for beginning musicians—is surprisingly simple: slow down. It’s one of the most overlooked but essential principles of learning music. Yet, time and again, students become frustrated, discouraged, or even give up altogether because they try to play too fast, too […]
Musical Intervals and their names
Musical intervals can be thought of like basic measurements we learn early in life—such as inches, feet, or yards. In music, intervals refer to the space or distance between two notes. Just as we measure physical distance, musicians measure pitch distance with intervals. In the most fundamental sense, an interval is the distance between two […]
Gift Certificates for Music Lessons
Give the Gift of Music This Holiday Season Music lessons make a thoughtful and lasting gift for anyone with even a spark of musical interest. It’s common to hear people say things like, “I’ve always wanted to learn guitar,” or “I wish I had time to play piano.” The truth is, most people can make […]
The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
If you’re a guitarist and a Beatles enthusiast, The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook is an indispensable addition to your collection. This comprehensive compilation features chord symbols, guitar chord boxes, and complete lyrics for 194 songs written and performed by The Beatles, all transcribed in their original keys. It’s tailored for strumming guitarists, making it ideal […]
How to write creative music
Creative writing in music can begin in many different ways, depending on the musician’s background and approach. If you’re a singer—or simply someone who comes up with songs and melodies—you might find it helpful to learn guitar or piano to accompany your voice. In this case, the creative process often starts with a melody, with […]
The Theory of Jazz Music
In The Jazz Theory Book, acclaimed jazz pianist and educator Mark Levine delivers a masterclass in understanding the building blocks of jazz harmony and improvisation. Levine famously states that a great jazz solo is “1% magic and 99% stuff that is explainable, analyzable, categorizable, and doable.” This book is all about that 99%. From the […]
Spelling your scales
A scale is a series of notes used as the foundation for melodies, harmonies, and chords. When musicians begin learning scales, there are several angles to approach the concept: recognizing notes on the staff, playing scales on an instrument, identifying them by ear, and spelling them out note by note. Spelling a scale means naming […]