StrumWhat Kind of
Guitar Kid Is Yours?
Tap one and find out. We'll tell you exactly how Strum fits your child — before you even scroll.
↓ or scroll to meet the program
From nervous fingers
to Thanksgiving songs.
Nobody walks in knowing how.
On the first day, your child will hold a guitar that's too big and a pick that's too small, and they'll look at the instructor with eyes that say: I don't belong here. Our volunteer teachers have a rule: no one plays alone until they want to. The first session is just listening, touching the strings, and hearing the room. By the end of 45 minutes, every child has played at least one note — and they did it because they chose to.
Half-size acoustics available for ages 6–8. No instrument required to start.
Three chords. One whole song. Everything changes.
Around week six, it happens. Your child plays through a full song without stopping to look at their fingers. It might be Knockin' on Heaven's Door or a simplified Taylor Swift verse — but it's complete. The other kids in the group stop what they're doing. Someone starts tapping along. The instructor steps back. This is the moment parents describe when they say: I almost cried in the parking lot.
Beginner songs selected by difficulty, not by age. Your child advances when they're ready.
The night they play for you.
Every December, we take over the old church hall and hang string lights. Parents sit in folding chairs. Someone always forgets tissues. Each child performs one song — the one they chose, the one they practiced so many times you could sing it in your sleep. There's no judging, no ranking, no spotlight anxiety. Just a child on a small stage, playing something real, looking out at your face. The applause at the end isn't for the performance. It's for the person they've become.
The recital is free and open to families. Older students help younger ones prepare.
The chair stays warm.
Our volunteer instructors all have one thing in common: they were once the nervous kid in the tiny chair. By year two, your child might be that older student in the back room, showing a six-year-old where to put their fingers. This is what makes Strum different from a lesson studio. It's not a service. It's a community that grows itself — where the kid who struggled with the G chord becomes the one who teaches it.
Student mentors earn service hours. No experience required to mentor — just patience.
Everything you need
before day one.
We give you the kit before you give us anything. No enrollment required.
- 📋
PDF practice schedule
15 minutes a day, designed for kids who hate practicing
- 🎵
Spotify playlist by difficulty
42 songs from Beginner Strum to First Fingerpick
- 🎬
3-chord parent video
Learn G, C, and D so you can play alongside your child
What parents say
after the first year.
My daughter is eight. She played three songs at Thanksgiving and my father-in-law — who never cries — cried.
Priya Nambiar
Parent of a Strum student, Year 2
I signed up for the free lesson thinking it'd be one and done. That was fourteen months ago. Marcus now teaches the Tuesday group.
Darnell Washington
Parent of Marcus, 13
She used to come home and go straight to her phone. Now she goes straight to her guitar. I don't know what you did, but thank you.
Kateřina Horáková
Parent of a Strum student, Year 1
Reserve a Free
Trial Lesson.
One session. Your child plays. You watch from the doorway. If it's not right, we'll say so first. Sessions run 3:30–5:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
Or call us: (555) 487-3210 · We answer between 3–6 PM on school days.
A note from our volunteer instructors
"We don't take every child who applies. Not because some kids aren't ready — but because some aren't ready yet, and we'd rather wait than push. The trial lesson is as much for us to listen as it is for your child to play. If we think another program would serve them better right now, we'll tell you honestly — and we'll tell you what to look for."