“A structured curriculum, a dedicated teacher, and a community of supportive guitarists to help you improve.”
Serving the adult amateur
am·a·teur
for love of the craft/
The Classical Guitar Corner Academy serves adult amateur guitarists by providing them with the highest quality education available.
It is an opportunity for you to access a world class education from your home and join a vibrant community of guitarists who are studying the classical guitar alongside you.
The Academy caters for absolute beginners, intermediate players, and also advanced players. You will have the opportunity to get personal feedback, undertake certificate exams, post performances, and join meetups with other members. At any time, you can access the comprehensive curriculum which has already helped thousands of guitarists achieve their musical goals.
Guitarists who study here are fun, dedicated, supportive, and friendly. We celebrate small victories like your first performance (no matter what it sounds like!), and large ones like being awarded a CGC certificate.
This is a wonderful place to study, and it gets results.
Meet your teacher, Dr. Simon Powis
I am a guitarist just like you and I am excited to share my knowledge and experience. I was awarded a doctorate from Yale University, performed in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, taught in international universities and masterclasses and I maintain an active performance career. I say this only to convey that I have passion for both performance and education and through this site I have been privileged to help hundreds of guitarists like you to improve their playing.
Simon Powis is the rare combination of a virtuoso guitarist and a thoughtful, forward thinking pedagogue. – Ben Verdery, Yale University.
Simon displayed outstanding sensitivity and a musical maturity that was worthy of any professional concert platform. – Huffington Post
“Although he has performed, taught and given master classes all over the world, the talented and personable guitarist is perhaps most widely known these days for his highly regarded online classical guitar pedagogy: Classical Guitar Corner.”
– Classical Guitar Magazine
Meet The Faculty
New York based classical guitarist and pedagogue Kevin R. Gallagher began playing rock guitar in his formative years but his appetite for music led him to study jazz and ultimately, classical guitar.
Kevin was the first-prize winner in the 1993 Guitar Foundation of America, the 1994 American String Teachers Association, and the 1993 Artists International Competition. Most notably, Mr. Gallagher also earned the distinct honor of being the only American classical guitarist ever to win first prize in the prestigious Francisco Tárrega Guitar Competition in Spain (1997).
Connie studied U.S. History and Music at Columbia University, and earned a Master of Music from the Juilliard School. She completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California under William Kanengiser and Pepe Romero. She also studied under scholarship at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana with Oscar Ghiglia in Siena, Italy.
Connie serves as General Manager for the Guitar Foundation of America and teaches at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music and Moreno Valley College.
David Belcher is an experienced guitarist who has performed throughout the United States. At CGC you will bump into Dave on the forum and via email as he helps manage the site and answer your questions.
How it works.
Everything you need, in one place.
As a member of Classical Guitar Corner you will have access to an incredible suite of learning tools. From robust technique courses to video tutorials on a specific piece of music, you will be amazed at the amount and quality of material available to you.
To guide you through the lessons you will be using step-by-step curriculum that is structured and goal oriented. There are five levels (Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) that take you from complete beginner material through to intermediate and advanced lessons.
5 Levels For You To Progress
The Fundamentals Course prepares the absolute beginner to start studying with correct technique, posture, and a working knowledge of the guitar. It is a quick course that will get you started and playing within a short period of time. No prior experience is needed with guitar or music.
The Level 1 Courses cover core techniques that are used in classical guitar playing. Techniques such as free stroke, rest stroke, arpeggios, and nail shaping are all covered. In addition to technique you will learn how to read music, get and introduction to music theory, musicianship, and sight reading.
Repertoire has been carefully selected to help you progress without frustration. You will have lessons for all of the repertoire in level one and even duets to further use your new found skills.
Should you want to take a certificate course, there are two opportunities to submit an an exam in level 1. From these submissions you will receive personal feedback, guidance, and a certificate to mark your achievement.
Level 2 picks up where level 1 left off and continues in a progressive and structured fashion. You will find the same comprehensive approach which includes technique, repertoire, duets, sight reading, theory, musicianship, and analysis.
The repertoire continues to progress steadily in difficulty in Level 2 lessons are provided to accompany all pieces.
Level 3 is for the intermediate guitarist and includes repertoire from Bach, Tarrega, Giuliani, Carcassi and more.
Courses are available in all core areas of study: Technique, Musicianship, Notation, Sight Reading, Theory, Analysis, Duets
Level 4 incorporates some advanced techniques and true masterpieces of the repertoire. Examples include: Bach Allemande BWV 996, Bach Prelude from Cello Suite No.1 BWV 1007, Scarlatti sonantas, Giuliani etudes, Legnani and more.
You will find advanced courses on rasgueado technique, and in depth workshops from Ben Verdery, Gohar Vardanyan, Fred Hand and other teachers.
Catering for the Advanced guitarist with several years of experience and a true development of classical guitar technique, Level 5 primarily focuses on repertoire. The lessons at this level are in depth and extensive. Repertoire includes Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho Arabe, Villa Lobos Prelude No.1, Julia Florida.
Certificate Courses
Annual members can take advantage of the Certificate Courses. These courses walk you through step by step, lesson by lesson through the entire curriculum. At the end of the course you can submit your playing to receive a certificate of completion. A wonderful way to set goals and map your progress.
Learn To Read Music and Sight Read
If you are new to notation, that is no problem. There are specific courses that will teach you how to read music at a steady pace. Each level aligns perfectly with the repertoire so you can put your reading skills to use straight away.
Sight reading is also a key focus at the Academy because it allows you to learn and play music with confidence and speed. You will have access to graded sets of sight reading challenges that will keep you entertained and challenged as you progress.
The Masterclass Series
I have invited some of my colleagues to conduct masterclasses just for the CGC members. These in-depth masterclasses focus on repertoire and their associated techniques. The pieces chosen are from Level 3 through 5 and represent and intermediate to advanced level. Current masterclasses include Gohar Vardanyan teaching Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Kevin Gallagher teaching Llobet’s El Testament D’Amelia.
Live Coaching
All members are welcome to participate and or watch our live coaching sessions. These range from student performances with feedback, to practice advice, to group technique workshops, to general Q&A sessions.
These live sessions are easy to set up (just like Skype only better!) and provide a wonderful sense of community amongst members.
Course Books
As an Annual Member you will have access to all of the course books that are normally available for purchase in the online store. You can download the books as you need them and you will find they are an invaluable resource to your studies.
Technical Routines, Repertoire Books, Scales Sets, Giuliani Right Hand Studies… they are all included in your Annual Membership.
Summer School
Each year the students of CGC have the opportunity to attend an international gathering of guitarists near Boston USA. This weeklong event brings in master teachers and provides a fun relaxed environment for students to hone their performance skills, knowledge, and ensemble skills. The Summer School runs in June each year and is a ton of fun!
See the results for yourself
Before
After
“Finding this site has been one of the great joys in my life.”
Above are two videos submitted by an Annual Member at CGC, Barry. They are the same piece, the same guitar, and the same player 11 months apart. You will notice that not only is the speed and control further developed, the left hand technique is much more secure, the right hand tone is more consistent, and overall the performance is more musical.
Barry has taken advantage of the live seminars, regularly posts videos in the forum, and receives helpful feedback from Simon, the CGC team and the other students. He is a great example of what can be done with the membership at Classical Guitar Corner.
Watch members describe the Academy in their own words
“I appreciate the possibility of posting something you are working on and getting feedback from people”
“I would highly recommend this site to anyone who is approaching guitar as a beginner, intermediate, or even advanced player.”
“A well thought out, well planned, curriculum makes it easier for me to organize my practice time, because it is very limited”
“Simon has a structure that brings students up to a level they never thought they would achieve.”
“I’m having a phenomenal time and I cannot recommend it enough anyone”
“There’s a way for each player to learn something and gain confidence”
I hope that you will please excuse me, as I am still getting over the shock of the amazing quality of this site, our teacher and all of you! I looked at the free lessons skeptically and then joined for just a month (because what could that hurt really)….but honestly I was prepared for the experience to be an utter waste of time and money. I could not have been more WRONG. – Cheryl Ann (posted in the CGC Forum)
I was never taught how to practice and this is making a huge difference.– Paul
I’ve seen a lot of change in guitar pedagogy in my life and I think that the clarity of your teaching as well as your expert use of technology provides enormous value to guitar students at all levels. – Lou
I am now 56 years young and it took a lot of trial and error trying to learn on my own and jumping from one you tube channel to the next without any clear path for progression until I came upon Classical Guitar Corner! – Chris
Two Types of Membership
There are two types of membership: Monthly and Annual. Both memberships get full access to the core curriculum, community forum and live teaching sessions.
Annual members receive three important bonuses in their membership:
- All course books are included in their membership
- Access to the Masterclass Series
- Access to the certificate courses
As an Annual member you save $203 in membership fees and get all of the bonus material.
Membership Includes:
All Courses
Live Coaching
Forum Access
Plus Annual Member Bonus Features:
All Course Books (over $100 value)
All Masterclasses from Guest Teachers
Certificate Courses with Personal Feedback
It’s really simple…
We put our heart and soul into this school and we are confident you are going to enjoy being a member. If you find that this site is not for you, you can let us know within thirty days of signing up, and we will give you a full refund. This guarantee means there is no risk in signing up and every reason to become a member right now.
Choose your membership below.
Find out why over 1000 guitarists call CGC home…
Choose your membership below, and get instant access.
Monthly Membership
- All Level Courses
- Forum Access
- Live Coaching Sessions
- N/A
- N/A
- N/A
- N/A
- N/A
Annual Membership
- All Level Courses
- Forum Access
- Live Coaching Sessions
- Guest Masterclasses
- Certificate Courses
- All Course Books Included
- Save $203
- N/A
Annual Membership (Premium)
- All Level Courses
- Forum Access
- Live Coaching Sessions
- Guest Masterclasses
- Certificate Courses
- All Course Books Included
- Save $53 from Monthly Membership
- Access to CGC Office Hours with one-to-one instruction from multiple teachers
P.S. YES this membership caters for complete beginners.
FAQ
Yes!
The Notation & Sight Reading Course for Level 1 is included in all of the memberships. This course takes you from the very beginning and guides you through step by step to reading your first guitar pieces.
Yes, absolutely! The courses start from the very, very beginning. You will learn how to hold the guitar, how to tune, and also how to read music without any prior knowledge.
You might be surprised to know that while members at CGC are both young and old the majority of members are 40+. We even have some members who are well into their 80’s and are making great progress. All are welcome here at Classical Guitar Corner.
There are two reasons for this:
#1 I want to be fair to paying members of CGC
#2 I believe the membership rates are already representing exceptional value. The equivalent cost in private one-to-one lessons would be well into the thousands each year and there simply isn’t a price you can put on the quality of the materials and the community on this site.