About
Cool Guitar for Cool Kids is a series of methods that will change the way guitar is being taugh to young people. These books were written with the kind of insight that can only be acquired from many years of experience in teaching private lessons.
JP Cousineau
My name is Jean-Pierre Cousineau. I have been teaching guitar for over 40 years. At first, like most professional guitarists, I taught part time to supplement my income. At the age of 40
I took a hiatus from music and completed a BA in communication studies. I then began the full time teaching carreer which led to my writing these books. I taught five days a week at Quebec Music School for 12 years untill my partial retirement. I now teach there 2 days a week, have a few private students and devote the rest of my time to developping the Cool Guitar For Cool Kids series.
The method
There are numerous guitar methods out there and one might wonder what a new one would add.
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The problem with most of the available books is that they follow the same general format of teaching three notes at a time. This may work for adults but with all the fast moving technology available today, children have become more restless and less motivated by the written word. I have noticed that my own students started well enough with the three notes on the first string but they slowed down considerably on the second string
and got completely discouraged by the time we reached the fourth string.
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Cool Guitar for Cool Kids approaches​ reading notes at a slower pace. Emphasis is placed on counting the different time values, and each new note is integrated with appropriate exercises. Another very important innovation is the spreading out of theory throughout the books. Achievable goals are presented in a way that students find very satisfying and motivating. Last, but equaly important, is the use of friendly, cartoon-type characters that convey messages or illustrate song titles or points of theory.
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A few companies have published starter books for children but this is the only series that can bring younger students from the beginner to the advanced level.