Our primary curriculum is designed for elementary-aged students. However, we have alternative curriculum for teenagers and adults who wish to take the course.

Certainly! Instructors assess their student’s skill level in the very first class so that they’re not getting bored covering things they already know.

The curriculum is simply called “Intro to Guitar.” There are three levels. But don’t let the simple title fool you: this curriculum is exclusive to some of the top music schools around the world and otherwise has not been made publicly available.

The LJM Guitar Course is designed as a structured beginner pathway.

Students follow a consistent curriculum while still receiving personalized support from instructors. It’s more like taking a school course. Traditional lessons could be likened to tutoring.

This creates:

• clearer progress

• more consistency

• easier transitions between instructors if needed

• a strong foundation for future private instruction

Many students continue into long-term private lessons with one of our independent guitar teachers after completing the course.

Often, yes.

However, the Guitar Course is team-based rather than built around one individual instructor. This allows us to provide more flexibility and continuity when scheduling changes or teacher absences occur.

Because all instructors follow the same structured learning system, students continue progressing smoothly even if another teacher occasionally steps in.

One of the major benefits of the LJM Guitar Course is lesson continuity.

If a teacher is unavailable, another trained LJM instructor may teach the lesson so students can maintain momentum and consistency.

This helps families avoid the frequent cancellations that can happen in traditional one-teacher lesson models.

Families may reschedule lessons anytime before the scheduled lesson start time.

Because the Guitar Course is structured around ongoing weekly progress, we encourage families to reschedule rather than skip whenever possible.

Lessons canceled after the scheduled lesson start time will be forfeited.

We understand that many families balance music alongside sports, school, vacations, and other commitments.

The Guitar Course is specifically designed to provide more flexibility and continuity for busy families while still helping students maintain steady progress.

We encourage families to reschedule whenever a conflict with a student’s normal lesson time comes up.

Having a guitar at home is helpful in making the most consistent progress through the course. However, if there is no guitar at home, students are welcome to practice on any of our guitars for free so long as there is one available.

Every student progresses at a different pace, so completing all three levels of the Guitar Course typically takes anywhere from 6-12 months.

Some students move quickly through levels, while others benefit from more repetition and gradual growth. Our instructors personalize pacing while guiding students through the structured curriculum.

Upon completion they will have achieved an intermediate level of guitar skills and will be ready for lessons with one of our independent career guitar instructors.

Students build strong foundational guitar skills including:

• chords and strumming patterns

• rhythm and timing

• hand coordination and finger placement

• beginner music reading and tablature

• foundational technique

• musical expression and confidence

• practice habits and consistency

Throughout the course, students work toward clear milestones and achievement levels designed to keep beginners motivated and engaged.

After building a strong foundation in the Guitar Course, many students continue into personalized private instruction with one of our independent La Jolla Music guitar teachers.

We’ve seen it happen! The goal is to gain the benefits music has to offer. To facilitate that, students may switch to another LJM Course Instrument at any time.