Leonie Roessler Guitar Lessons in Den Haag

Guitar Lessons - Enjoy Making Music!

Acoustic guitar lessons for beginners and advanced. I'm private guitar teacher Leonie Roessler in The Hague . I offer flexibility and quality with the 5 or 10 lesson card. My guitar lessons may cover classical repertoire as well as contemporary music. Music lessons should be a time-out from your life, a moment for yourself. You'll learn something new in each lesson, and we won't forget to laugh and enjoy the ride.

Classical Guitar Lessons

Studying an instrument is something that cannot be taken away from you. Many things can disappoint, but music tends to not be one of them. Establishing a musical practice in your life, whether you are an adult or a child, can be a refuge from the world outside, the instrument in your hands a true friend.

Guitar Lessons for Children

Children of around age five or six can start classical guitar lessons. (Younger kids may be better off playing the ukulele for a while and then switching to the guitar.)  I have suitable books for the very young with big notes and colourful drawings, as well as a thorough but really fun method for kids who are a bit older but still elementary school-aged. That way the children can learn to read music in a playful way that is not intimidating (and earn stickers along the way when they finish their pieces...)

Compose your own Music

Children who have taken lessons for a little while are welcome to also compose small pieces or songs under my guidance. Kids often do not even realise that they are able to write music themselves. It is a true accomplishment to write a small piece, and it solidifies their knowledge of where the notes are and how rhythmic structures work. I'll make sure that the children sit correctly and play with proper technique. It is always easier to learn good habits than to unlearn them later in life.

Guitar Lessons for Adults

Beginning adults who have never had any formal music education may also start with a method book that takes them through note-reading, basic rhythms, and a bit of theory at a doable pace. Adults who did not have music lessons before tend to be intimidated by musical notation. However, reading notes is in no way more difficult than reading this text - it is a way of translating symbols into sound.

Advanced Students

Students who already have a background in playing the guitar can deepen their knowledge of repertory from the Renaissance to Contemporary Music. You'll be playing materials to build technique that tackles a variety of issues. We 'll use traditional methods like Giuliani's Studies for the Left Hand and the Segovia Scales, but also stay on top of what's out there, for example with finger-bending exercises of Scott Tenant's Pumping Nylon.

Music Theory

How far you wish to go with your knowledge of theory is really up to you. If you want to simply play, that is perfectly fine - there is so much repertory for beginning to intermediate students. For those who want to dig deeper I have materials that take you systematically through different keys, with their scales, chords, and cadences. And of course proper posture and technique are also an essential part of the learning process.

Correct Posture

Learn a correct and relaxed posture to ensure that body-awareness and injury prevention become a natural part of your practice! The use of Alexander Technique can be a helpful contribution to achieve this!

Fun First!

It is equally important though to not forget to laugh and to enjoy music during (most steps of) the process of learning an instrument.

About Leonie

Leonie studied classical guitar at Los Angeles City College. She also completed the "Commercial Certificate Program" in guitar there, an education which trains performers to be able to work as session musicians in the film and music industry. Leonie earned a Bachelor Degree in Composition from California State University Northridge and a Master Degree from the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. In addition she followed four years of Contemporary Music Through Non-Western Techniques at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. This course is an in-depth exploration of Southern Indian rhythmic structures and their application to Western Music. Her music has been released on various labels, among them Noise a Noise, Musica Dispersa, and Biodiversita Records. She regularly performs in the Netherlands and abroad.