Personalized Faculty Feedback
Given the variety of musical backgrounds, natural abilities, and learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc), the progress of the student will be dependent on two main components:
1. A comprehensive, systematic curriculum
2. A productive practice routine
We have your back on both fronts!
Additionally, depending on the student’s goals and musical background, receiving personalized feedback can be a great supplement. Meeting our experienced instructors in person or online can play an important role in bridging any gaps and overcoming any specific challenges you might be facing. In light of this, we have been launching various forms of community events over the years in addition to our original faculty feedback option (video submissions):
– Faculty consultation
– Group sessions
– Office hours
– Community chats
– Walkthrough sessions
‘Is it mandatory to join a faculty session or a community event?’
It is optional to join our community sessions. We’ve had many students who have successfully reached the upper-advanced levels, completing the curriculum and receiving their completion certificate without scheduling a single faculty consultation. This group of students commonly includes those with self-study/DIY experience, those who are strong visual learners, and those who have a systematic and meticulous practice routine with a reliable self-evaluation system in place (e.g. recording their playing and/or practicing in front of a mirror, etc.) Also, keep in mind that the support team is always available to assist you with any questions, clarifications, or pointers. For nuanced technical questions or for topics that may fall outside the scope of email support, the team may still refer you to a faculty consultation session.
Introductory faculty consultation
Our instructors have helped students overcome many obstacles including rhythm/tempo challenges, left and right-hand fingering hurdles, fluidity/consistency issues, coordination, and musicality, among many others, in as little as a single session. More importantly, in-person sessions can often uncover missing gaps or hidden/neglected aspects of the student’s musicianship and technique.
The sessions take place on weekdays. Once you are matched up with an instructor, you will receive an SMS or an email from us when they have an opening on their schedule (typically a one-hour morning slot between 9 – 11 am PST, or an afternoon slot between 2 – 5 pm PST). In some cases, if the meeting is scheduled after a faculty meeting, multiple instructors may be present in the session.
The meetings are held via Zoom. Here is a checklist to make sure you are prepared for the session:
– In the interest of time, perform a video/audio test on Zoom to make sure the mic levels are high enough, and both hands and face are visible on the camera view
– In the Zoom audio settings window, turn off ‘automatically adjust mic levels’, and turn on ‘original sound for musicians’
– Make sure your guitar is tuned up
– Jot down any questions about any technique or pieces you are working on
– Be prepared to perform one of two pieces in full (preferably from Level 3-4) for level assessment, or play a recorded video of your performance (applicable for those with performance anxiety issues).
Our faculty is always generous with their time and make sure there are always great takeaways from the sessions. Nevertheless, we wanted to provide the following information and pointers to help you make the best out of your sessions. Though the following guidelines and suggestions apply to both classical and flamenco programs, minor differences will be indicated where applicable. For example, for flamenco students, a ‘piece’ will refer to a PIT, or a set of falsettas performed in sequence.
Selecting, recording, and submitting a piece
For Level 1 and Level 2 repertoire, the skillset and the discussion will be fairly limited so we typically recommend reaching Level 3+ before scheduling a faculty session to make sure the fundamentals such as the sitting position, posture, and right/left-hand basics are in place. That said, we do make exceptions for those with physical limitations (e.g. injury/surgeries, etc), obstacles, or custom setups.
Choose a piece that reflects your current level and that you can play accurately without referring to sheet music. Before you record the piece, you will want to make sure the piece is fully practiced (a continuous, memorized, fluid performance, with no memory lapses or pauses) so that you can showcase the best version of your performance to the faculty. If this poses a challenge, simply choose a piece from an earlier unit/level that is well-practiced, and that you’re more comfortable performing (see below for details). Once it is recorded, submit your video through your student account so that we can forward it to the faculty before the session.
‘What type of feedback should I expect?’
This will be highly dependent on your current level and any next step(s) in your technical development. For example, the feedback that a Level 3 student receives will be more basic and focused on fundamental techniques and fluidity, whereas a Level 7 student (or a graduate on their second run-through of the curriculum) performing a Level 3 piece will likely receive more advanced feedback on musicality, in addition to non-standard, intricate technical aspects.
On the other hand, a student who is only at Level 2, but has a greater musical background and experience (e.g. those with prior experience playing another instrument, or those with a music degree or keen interest) will receive a more nuanced type of feedback that will help bridge their gaps between technical and musical level.
Music theory
Regardless of the student’s goals, a functional knowledge of music theory will provide numerous benefits in your journey as a guitarist: Understanding the pieces you are playing at a deeper level, learning pieces faster, memorizing pieces more easily, making more informed choices with musicality and fingerings, moreover, laying the foundation for arranging, improvisation and composition.
However, the lack of a uniform method and systematic resources within the online education domain has unfortunately created confusion across the board, even amongst our circle of students when using outside resources. As a result, our faculty has created a comprehensive and easy-to-follow system for our students based on decades of teaching experience. A new LAGA curriculum (for theory) based on this approach is currently in the works. Though we don’t have an ETA on the launch date, our instructors have been periodically utilizing this method during our faculty sessions and student group sessions. So your initial consultation session would be a good place to ask about this theory method, get started with the basics, and perhaps get caught up with the prior topics. You will also find a set of reference videos at the end of Level 2.
Extracurricular repertoire
Each piece within the curriculum is strategically placed and ordered to cover specific techniques and musical concepts so we highly recommend following the structure of the curriculum as you develop your skills and repertoire. Note that LAGA’s premiere sheet music portfolio is available (see below) for our students who are seeking extracurricular pieces. We do not recommend practicing pieces acquired from outside sources, especially for beginner-intermediate level students (Levels 1-4) who are yet to reach a level where they can:
– assess the quality of the arrangement/revision in question,
– analyze the texture and harmonic/contrapuntal structure of the piece and be able to make changes in voicing when necessary,
– make their own fingering choices.
Also, note that a scattergun approach will result in a lack of substantive progress on a particular path as it would dilute the concentration, time, and focus required to dive deeper.
On the other hand, intermediate to advanced level students (Levels 5-7) who have reached a solid level of technical proficiency are encouraged to:
1. Incorporate pieces from our premiere portfolio (100+ popular classics arrangements)
2. Revise or arrange any pieces from outside sources provided they have the theoretical background and experience.
Free ways to access LAGA Premiere Sheet Music Portfolio:
1. Many of the premiere pieces are made available throughout the curriculum based on their difficulty level.
2. For those who wish to tackle pieces above their current level, or to build their score library, a monthly discount is provided for any purchase from our portfolio.
3. Merit-based free downloads. For those students who are successfully progressing through the curriculum, and submitting their recordings periodically, free scores are issued per request.
Group sessions
Our bi-weekly student group sessions are directed toward students who are comfortable performing, sharing, and learning in a group environment and they consist of friendly discussions on technique, fingerboard theory, and performance feedback.
They consist of two 40-minute sessions with a 5-minute break in between. Depending upon the current level and time zones of the students, additional sessions are occasionally launched. To stay current with the theory topics covered in the sessions, we highly recommend consistent attendance y active participation. The enrollment is free and only open to LAGA students with an active membership, actively working on the curricular repertoire. Students are encouraged to perform pieces and/or share recordings in the group for feedback, though this is optional.
Office hours
Active participation is always encouraged in the group sessions, so you are welcome to ask any questions as they come up during the main session. If you have a question that may not be as relevant to the other students in the group, you may wish to save it for the office hour session immediately following the group session and discuss it with your instructor(s).
Please bring any administrative/scheduling matters to the attention of the support team, rather than the faculty, who may not equipped to discuss them.
Community chat project
We launched yet another community event in 2023 to provide additional support, feedback, and inspiration.
These sessions consist of members of our community sharing their thoughts and experiences in a small group setting. The main subject (chosen by the student) can be anything related to performance, musical approaches, personal experiences, anecdotes, practice tips or success stories.
The second part of these sessions consists of a walkthrough analysis session with the faculty where you can study a section of a piece or a challenging spot. This can be chosen from a piece/falsetta (from your current level) that you believe the conversation would also benefit the rest of the community.
You may view all past sessions under ‘Selected Community Chats’ on your Student Homepage.
‘How many sessions can I schedule?’
There is no limit on the number of community sessions you can join. But keep in mind that there is no replacement for spending quality practice time with your guitar. Your progress itself will be a source of inspiration and your practice sessions will be increasingly more enjoyable as you go. If you feel like you are not making progress, a conversation with the faculty may help reignite the motivation and get you back on the right track. Other common reasons for requesting additional faculty consultations after your first session include:
1. Specific technical or physiological issues (that may not be relevant or helpful to the rest of the group) that you wish to address directly with the faculty.
2. Performance anxiety issues that keep you from recording videos or performing in group sessions.
3. An unusually fast pace of progression (e.g. a level jump in a short period) that you’d like to demonstrate and get feedback on your performance and progress.
How to register to join a community event?
The first step would be to submit a video of your playing. A video speaks a thousand words. If you are a new student, your video will appraise our team of your current musical level and any technical deficiencies. If you are an existing student, it will keep us updated about your progress following your previous submission so that we can determine how we can best help you reach your goals and optimize your progress. Regardless of the type of community event you are joining (initial faculty consultation, a student group session, or a community chat session) the ultimate goal is your progress as a guitarist. More on this below.
The true measure of success
Regardless of your short-term and long-term goals, an invaluable skill set as a guitarist is to develop a deep understanding of the fingerboard and ultimately be able to make your own technical and musical choices on the instrument. In other words, as our faculty often remarks in the group sessions, to eventually firing your instructor and becoming your instructor yourself. This applies to all levels of the curriculum. For example, even for a Level 2 piece, if you can see the reasoning behind efficient fingering choices and can come up with your personal workarounds/solutions for challenging passages, that’s a great achievement and you are well on your way to mastery. So the end goal is not JUST reaching Level 7, but it is to improve your skill set, sense of efficiency on the fingerboard, and other aspects of musicianship with each piece you practice, which in turn helps you reach a level of effortless performance of all the way up to Level 7 repertoire and more.
How to get there?
Simply follow the curriculum one lesson at a time – taking your time to meticulously practice each piece. Students who skip ahead and jump into advanced repertoire prematurely will undoubtedly lack the foundational basics and experience to be able to make their own fingering decisions. Lacking these skills, when you sightread (or view a video of) an advanced piece, you are essentially ‘copying’ someone’s finished work and taking it for granted without filtering it through your perspective. Even if you ‘copied’ fingerings from the performance by, say, ‘the world’s greatest guitarist’, it may still not work for a particular student because there are going to be many other factors in play, such as the student’s anatomy (finger length/stretch/flexibility), dexterity and current technical level.
Go the extra mile and leave crutches behind
A. Left-hand fingerings
When you take the time to build your skills and internalize the structure of the fingerboard, you will reach a point where you can make your own decisions and leave the crutches behind (see lesson notes and student sample scores, e.g. C1.2.11). This applies to many other aspects of musicianship. For instance, in terms of fingerings, the ‘crutches’ can refer to being in dire need of seeing fingerings on a score, or looping a video numerous times to copycat the instructor’s exact right-hand fingerings. When you develop an understanding of efficient fingerings (both for the left and right hand), you will start thinking outside the box and not taking any fingerings on scores for granted.
You will find many lesson notes and instructions on how to tackle fingering choices throughout the curriculum but here is a list of steps for your reference as an example of an optimal approach:
1. Escucha y mira el video varias veces para familiarizarte con la música o el ejercicio.
2. Download and open the sheet music. Play the video while following along with the sheet music several times to build a visual-aural (eye-ear) connection with the notes on the staff.
3. Toma tu guitarra y toca la música a un ritmo lento. Este paso agrega la conexión cinestésica (sentido del tacto) al proceso. Repite varias veces.
4. Mira el video nuevamente, no solo escuchando las notas sino también observando los aspectos técnicos (posiciones de las manos, dedos, etc.) con atención.
5. Finally, play through the music again. Practice each piece/drill several times daily. Be sure, however, to take frequent breaks to avoid overuse injuries and lack of focus. Make sure that you can play it accurately at about 80 percent (or more) of the tempo demonstrated in the clip before moving on to the next lesson.
The process for the flamenco curriculum is simpler as the students would only need to focus on the visual-aural (eye-ear) connection (#2), and the kinesthetic connection (#3).
B. Right-hand fingerings
Left-hand fingerings generally get more attention than the right. The fingering process for the right hand is much more flexible than the left. This is mainly due to 4 fingers on the right hand covering a range of 6 strings (as opposed to 4 fingers on the left handling the whole fingerboard). This also depends on the kinesthetic sense and coordination level of the student. For example, some students are naturally able to structure the fingering on the spot and come up with an effective fingering, while others will notate every single fingering number before they can develop a feel for it. The latter can be distracting and counterproductive so we recommend keeping right-hand fingering notation to a minimum when you are working on a piece.
Here is a list of steps for your reference as an example of an optimal approach:
– Fully practice and optimize the left-hand fingering of a piece, bringing it up to performance level with no mishaps. Right-hand fingering will not be a priority at this point.
– Scan for unusual/exceptional or problematic right-hand transitions.
– Come up with a few different right-hand fingering solutions to these spots.
– Perform a few spot practice sessions and choose the most efficient solution.
– Notate this final fingering on the score for these tricky spots.
‘Could I submit a video recording for every single piece? How flawless a performance should I be aiming for?’
That would be excessive and unproductive. Think of video submissions as small recitals. It will take a fair amount of fortitude and practice time to bring a single piece up to performance level regardless of the difficulty level. More on this below.
Optimize your practice and recording schedule
We have optimized the process for student video recording and submissions in our 14+ years of online instruction and receiving student video submissions to maximize your success. The following outlines the steps you can take (feel free to tweak them) in various stages of preparation and recording:
– Thoroughly practice the material in the entire (current) unit. Use a practice mirror to make sure the technical basics are intact.
– Choose a few program pieces (e.g. typically 3-4 per level) amongst your favorites. This number may be higher on more substantive levels (such as Level 4). This will constitute your core repertoire that you will be bringing up to performance level, aside from the regular scan mentioned in #1 above. Bringing a piece up to performance level means memorizing the piece and performing it fluidly and continuously with no pauses/breaks or mishaps.
– Employ metronome practice to ensure there are no fundamental tempo/rhythm issues. Once this base level of performance is achieved, the student can proceed toward adding the ‘musicality layer’ and work on a performance that is not only technically proficient but also showcases their musicality.
– With each video, strive for your absolute best performance – similar to a recital or an audition in front of a panel. Once you record the first of your program pieces, submit it via the Student Homepage.
– The submitted video performance is reviewed by our team and given a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ grade, along with brief remarks where necessary. A ‘fail/repeat’ typically indicates that the piece is under-practiced and/or showcases poor technical aspects so additional practice and re-recording of the piece is necessary.
– If it is a passing grade, the student would start this process for the next piece in their set, record it, and submit it as per steps #2-4.
Needless to say, to maximize progress, the majority of the student’s time with the instrument should be spent practicing and focusing on technique, rather than preparing for recording. Please refer to the averages below based on past student experience as a reference point, as it may help optimize your practice times per day vs. your video submission schedule, and help reduce the number of repeated/failed recording submissions:
A. Practice time < 1 hour per day:
– Percentage of passing grades for video submissions on a submission schedule of 1 video per month: 60-70%
– Percentage of passing grades for video submissions on a submission schedule of 2 videos per 3 months: 70-75%
B. Practice time ~ 2 hours or more per day:
– Percentage of passing grades for video submissions on a submission schedule of 1 video per month: >85%
– Percentage of passing grades for video submissions on a submission schedule of 2 videos per 3 months: >90%
C. Full-time, dedicated practice up to 4+ hours a day supplemented with LAGA Live (private lessons with direct, personalized feedback): ~ 95%
It’s certainly the student’s responsibility to find the balance between designating sufficient practice time versus preparing for recordings. That being said, the ultimate goal should be the student’s progress and not receiving a passing grade on a submission. However, the recording process itself becomes a great learning experience whether or not it is a passing grade, or whether the recording is submitted to the school or not. One note of caution, if the recording process turns into an end goal rather than a learning tool, it can become a hindrance to the progress.
The bottom line is that you are not alone in this journey. With any course of study, there are going to be topics where the student will have to assume responsibility for troubleshooting issues and find the right path forward. Please bear in mind that we are here to support you whether it’s a quick question, video submissions, in-person consultations, or program upgrades.
Best of luck and have fun with your practice!