Donahue Guitar Studio
Where Students are trained to be complete musicians
Guitar Lessons in Chatham and Denville, New Jersey
Teaching Philosophy
Michael Donahue’s primary goals are to instill the following behaviors in his students while they learn the guitar: curiosity, enthusiasm, patience, diligence, and confidence. Through musical experiences in lessons and in practice, the student will uncover a wide variety of styles and develop an openness for new music. Student repertoire choice and listening assignments will allow students to take ownership of their learning and discover favorite styles and artists. By drawing on his student’s interests, Mr. Donahue can create the proper environment for enthusiasm, but ultimately it is the student’s success, brought out by effective teaching, that is the primary motivator. Lessons will be oriented towards the process of learning rather than the results so students will develop patience realizing that the joy is found in the journey not the destination. Critical thinking skills will be acquired while studying guitar with Mr. Donahue and students will develop a ‘tool kit’ for solving problems. Michael teaches students to honestly self-assess their performance on a regular basis so they can work independently at home. Mistakes will be seen as opportunities to learn rather than failures to be ashamed of. They will discover confidence and good guitar playing are the result of proper preparation.
Mr. Donahue’s lessons are supervised practice sessions, where learning occurs naturally through experiences and discoveries. Students will learn music through listening, singing, and tapping rhythms, before they start practicing them on their instruments. New notes, techniques, and challenging passages will be explored after the preliminary stages of understanding what the piece is communicating. When the student is ready with their ‘tool kit’ in hand, they will ‘dive right in’ and begin to practice the new music with Michael’s close supervision and guidance.
Mr. Donahue’s goal is to train his students to become complete musicians and ultimately, artists. Along with a repertoire of performance pieces, all students will attain the vital skills of musicianship and technique such as, sight reading, music theory, scales, arpeggios, slurs, and chords. Ambitious students will learn how to arrange, compose, improvise, and play in different styles.
Why Classical Guitar?
Sight Reading – Classical Guitar is the only style of guitar playing that utilizes modern staff notation throughout all levels of performance. This enables students to work independently. Music notation serves as a map for learning new material and a visualization for understanding.
Advantageous Technique – The use of the right hand fingers facilitates a more progressive and less frustrating way of learning the left hand. Plucking with the fingers allows for a greater variety of musical textures, resulting in more interesting and educational music.
Solo Focused Music – The great majority of classical guitar repertoire is written for solo guitar unlike the electric and steel string acoustic that play more of an ensemble role.
500 Years of Musical Styles – The classical guitar repertoire, stylistically, is the most expansive out of ALL the instruments. Students will experience a whole world of possibilities.
Ideal Work to Satisfaction Ratio – Classical guitar has a teaching tradition going back 200 years with the highest quality student-music, making it the most satisfying and least frustrating style to learn in the beginning to intermediate phase.
Teaching Experience & Education
Michael Donahue, with 20 years of experience playing the guitar, has been teaching guitar lessons for over a decade to all levels, ages 4-80.
Mr. Donahue holds advanced degrees from two highly ranked conservatories of music. He has a Bachelor of Music from New England Conservatory and a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music. Michael teaches classical, electric, and acoustic guitar.
Lessons
Each student receives 35 lessons per academic year with options of 60, 45, and 30 minutes.
Performance Classes
Four Performance Classes will be included with the Lessons providing opportunities for informal performing and peer learning.
Student Concerts
2 Recitals will be scheduled per year that all students can participate in.
Consultation
Before enrolling, a free information session may be scheduled with the teacher.
Tuition
Tuition includes weekly lessons, performance classes, and recitals. Tuition may be paid monthly.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations require 24-hour notice by phone. Each student is guaranteed 4 makeups per year. Four makeup weeks are built into the schedule.
Attendance and Practice
If a student is accepted into the studio, it is understood that it is for the full school year. The student must set time aside for daily practice, consistently attend the weekly lessons, and participate in the performance classes.
Contact Information
973 936 8229
[email protected]
Michael Donahue’s primary goals are to instill the following behaviors in his students while they learn the guitar: curiosity, enthusiasm, patience, diligence, and confidence. Through musical experiences in lessons and in practice, the student will uncover a wide variety of styles and develop an openness for new music. Student repertoire choice and listening assignments will allow students to take ownership of their learning and discover favorite styles and artists. By drawing on his student’s interests, Mr. Donahue can create the proper environment for enthusiasm, but ultimately it is the student’s success, brought out by effective teaching, that is the primary motivator. Lessons will be oriented towards the process of learning rather than the results so students will develop patience realizing that the joy is found in the journey not the destination. Critical thinking skills will be acquired while studying guitar with Mr. Donahue and students will develop a ‘tool kit’ for solving problems. Michael teaches students to honestly self-assess their performance on a regular basis so they can work independently at home. Mistakes will be seen as opportunities to learn rather than failures to be ashamed of. They will discover confidence and good guitar playing are the result of proper preparation.
Mr. Donahue’s lessons are supervised practice sessions, where learning occurs naturally through experiences and discoveries. Students will learn music through listening, singing, and tapping rhythms, before they start practicing them on their instruments. New notes, techniques, and challenging passages will be explored after the preliminary stages of understanding what the piece is communicating. When the student is ready with their ‘tool kit’ in hand, they will ‘dive right in’ and begin to practice the new music with Michael’s close supervision and guidance.
Mr. Donahue’s goal is to train his students to become complete musicians and ultimately, artists. Along with a repertoire of performance pieces, all students will attain the vital skills of musicianship and technique such as, sight reading, music theory, scales, arpeggios, slurs, and chords. Ambitious students will learn how to arrange, compose, improvise, and play in different styles.
Why Classical Guitar?
Sight Reading – Classical Guitar is the only style of guitar playing that utilizes modern staff notation throughout all levels of performance. This enables students to work independently. Music notation serves as a map for learning new material and a visualization for understanding.
Advantageous Technique – The use of the right hand fingers facilitates a more progressive and less frustrating way of learning the left hand. Plucking with the fingers allows for a greater variety of musical textures, resulting in more interesting and educational music.
Solo Focused Music – The great majority of classical guitar repertoire is written for solo guitar unlike the electric and steel string acoustic that play more of an ensemble role.
500 Years of Musical Styles – The classical guitar repertoire, stylistically, is the most expansive out of ALL the instruments. Students will experience a whole world of possibilities.
Ideal Work to Satisfaction Ratio – Classical guitar has a teaching tradition going back 200 years with the highest quality student-music, making it the most satisfying and least frustrating style to learn in the beginning to intermediate phase.
Teaching Experience & Education
Michael Donahue, with 20 years of experience playing the guitar, has been teaching guitar lessons for over a decade to all levels, ages 4-80.
Mr. Donahue holds advanced degrees from two highly ranked conservatories of music. He has a Bachelor of Music from New England Conservatory and a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music. Michael teaches classical, electric, and acoustic guitar.
Lessons
Each student receives 35 lessons per academic year with options of 60, 45, and 30 minutes.
Performance Classes
Four Performance Classes will be included with the Lessons providing opportunities for informal performing and peer learning.
Student Concerts
2 Recitals will be scheduled per year that all students can participate in.
Consultation
Before enrolling, a free information session may be scheduled with the teacher.
Tuition
Tuition includes weekly lessons, performance classes, and recitals. Tuition may be paid monthly.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations require 24-hour notice by phone. Each student is guaranteed 4 makeups per year. Four makeup weeks are built into the schedule.
Attendance and Practice
If a student is accepted into the studio, it is understood that it is for the full school year. The student must set time aside for daily practice, consistently attend the weekly lessons, and participate in the performance classes.
Contact Information
973 936 8229
[email protected]
