We do know that the late astronomer, cosmologist, and astrophysicist Carl Sagan believed in the universal (literally) appeal of music and its power to connect terrestrial and extraterrestrial beings.

Back in 1977, Dr. Sagan spearheaded the creation of Voyager Golden Record – a kind of time capsule containing 27 tracks of earthly music that NASA sent into space on Voyagers 1 and 2 with the hope that aliens would hear and love it.

The eclectic mix includes such oeuvres as Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F, Peruvian panpipes and drum, a Georgian chorus, Louis Armstrong’s “Melancholy Blues”, and many others.

A Gift to Cosmos

As president Jimmy Carter said at the time of the launch in 1977, “This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours.”

At the time, very few of these gold-plated copper records were produced – two were sent into space and 10 are on display in NASA facilities. It is said that not even Dr. Sagan was able to obtain a copy.

But soon it will be easier to do so. A new Kickstarter campaign is creating replicas of the gold-plated phonograph records, which will be available for the first time here on Earth in August 2017, just in time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voyager launches.

Watch This Space

Human beings have always been fascinated by the sounds emitted in outer space.

Do aliens appreciate our music? There is some evidence that they do!

Seriously though, in all likelihood we will never know whether extraterrestrials enjoyed the sounds on the Voyager Golden Record, even if it does reach alien civilizations.

That’s because neither of the Voyager spacecraft is heading toward any defined stellar destination, so no encounters of the third kind are planned.

Voyager 1, however, entered interstellar space in 2013 and it is now almost 13 billion miles away from Earth. It is closing in on a star called Gliese 445 and is expected to reach it in about 40,000 years.

But if our music does ever reach extraterrestrials’ ears, chances are good that, in the very least, they will be intrigued by it.

According to Space.com, “Humans would probably have little to teach them about science and mathematics that they don’t already know…However, our art and music is singularly human, and could likely be fascinating to an alien species.”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The post In a Galaxy Far, Far Away, a Musical Star Trek is Underway appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

There is a good reason why its name is Carroll Gardens: the neighborhood’s main features are deep front yards, often surrounded by decorative wrought iron fences.

This explains the “garden” part. But why Carroll, you may ask?

Until 1964, this 40-block neighborhood, was just part of South Brooklyn. But then a local civic group renamed the area in honor of Charles Carroll, who was a signer of Declaration of Independence, as well as a civil rights activist.

Carroll was the U.S. senator from Maryland, but he did have a strong connection to the NYC borough. In 1776, during the Battle of Brooklyn, Carroll’s regiment helped defend this area; in fact, 400 of his soldiers died in an attack on a British camp.

Fortunately, this was the only bloody episode in the history of this quiet and scenic neighborhood.

A “Revolutionary” Neighborhood

Carroll Gardens is bounded by Degraw and Warren Streets to the north, Hoyt and Smith Streets to the east, Ninth Street to the south, and the Brooklyn-Queens and Gowanus Expressways to the west.

As mentioned above, during the Revolutionary War, this area was a site of a bloody battle. Then, in the early 1800s, many wealthy New Yorkers built summer homes here.

But the 19th century also brought European immigrants to South Brooklyn’s shores – the Irish were the first ones to settle in the area that is today called Carroll Gardens.

Later, Italians arrived, infusing the area with their native foods, customs, and traditions – the ambience that permeates the neighborhood to this day.

But there are traces of other ethnicities in Carroll Gardens as well – for instance, its flourishing French population has earned this section of Brooklyn the nickname “Little France.”

Both Italian and French influence is still present in Carroll Gardens in the form of restaurants, grocery stores, and other venues and events.

Arts and Crafts

So what is there to do in Carroll Gardens, other than admire beautiful gardens in front of quaint brownstones along quiet, tree-lined streets?

As far as arts scene is concerned, the neighborhood boasts the Smith Street Stage, a community theater dedicated to Shakespeare plays.

There are also jazz nights at Clover Club at 210 Smith Street, pottery and glassware workshop at the Painted Pot, 8009 Third Avenue, and many other cool events for children and adults alike.

And let’s not forget in-home music lessons that are available year-round in this cozy part of Brooklyn.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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First things first: if you like soft and mellow music, drums are definitely not for you – though a violin, flute, cello, as well as other strings and woodwinds, will fit the bill.

But if you prefer the strong rhythmic “pa rum pum pum pum” sounds, drums are a terrific choice. You might have to buy earplugs for your family and placate the neighbors, but at least you’ll be mastering the very cool art of drumming, and you really can’t…beat that!

Powerful and bold

To an untrained person, music emitted by this instrument – that has nothing in common with the drum that lives in your ear – may sound like a lot of haphazard noise. We can assure you that it is neither haphazard nor merely a “noise.” As percussion instruments, drums can be loud, but that’s because there is nothing meek or subdued about them. Just as people who are energetic and exuberant are usually louder than their more timid counterparts, the drums too can be noisier than many other instruments in a band or an orchestra. This fact was very well expressed in a poem by Walt Whitman: “Through the windows – through doors – burst like a ruthless force.” And then: “So fierce you whirr and pound, you drums!” So perhaps you should think of the drum as an instrument with an attitude, one that likes to come across loud and clear! Another misconception you may have heard is that playing drums doesn’t require much training – just pick up the drumsticks (not to be confused with chicken legs), and start hitting. That is not true – it takes a lot of skill (not to mention strength and hand coordination) to get just the right sound out of this instrument. As Tony Williams , regarded as one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 1960s described it: “Playing fast around the drums is one thing. But to play music, to play with people for others to listen to, that’s something else. That’s a whole other world.”

From tree trunks to (not a heavy) metal

The forefather of the modern drum set was likely a small cylindrical instrument used as far back as 3000 BC. Throughout history, different variations of the drum played – no pun intended – a pivotal role in religious and social rituals and ceremonies. These early drums were often made from hollow tree trunks with animal skins stretched over them, a far cry from the modern percussion instruments most commonly made from steel, aluminum, brass, or bronze. Interestingly enough, sounds of drums and trumpets set the mood (mostly that of impending gloom) in many of Shakespeare’s plays. In the late 19th century, after the bass drum pedal was invented, drum kits, which usually included a bass drum, side and tenor drums, tom toms, as well as various cymbals, allowed a drummer to play several instruments at once. These sets of various toned drums were also used in marching, parade, and military bands – a tradition that lives on to this day. And of course, drums are an integral part of jazz, rock, and heavy metal bands, including various branches of these genres.

The beat will go on!

Here’s something you should know: drums not only create music, but are also good for your health and fitness: half an hour of vigorous playing can burn up to 270 calories! So would you like to march to the beat of your own drum? Our teachers will be happy to…drum the music into you! What we mean to say is that we will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office and give you (or your child) great lessons. In no time at all, you will be singing this tune by a British indie band, Florence and the Machine:

“There’s a drumming noise inside my head. Louder than sirens Louder than bells Sweeter than heaven.”

The post Beat it, and Drum Up Some Great Music! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Can music change the world? We certainly hope that it can, but if this were totally true then there would be no wars or conflicts of any kind, and we’d all live in peace and harmony. But even if music can’t eradicate all evil, it can inspire political and social actions – the ones that raise our consciousness and awareness about various issues. In that way, music can (and does) bring about meaningful change in the lives of many people.

That’s because by appealing to our emotions, music has the ability to “drive home” even the most complex issues and motivate us to find solutions to whatever ails our world – violence, poverty, famine, injustice, and other problems. Let’s have a look at some of the many songs that have, at various points in the recent history and different countries, inspired and empowered us to action.

Fighting spirit

In the midst of the Civil Rights movement, Bob Dylan’s 1964 song, “Times They Are A-Changin' ” incited the entire generation to fight against segregation and oppression. Also in the 1960s, the Vietnam War sparked a lot of protests, the spirit of which was reflected in Pete Seeger’s beautiful ballad, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone . And there was also John Lennon’s unforgettable call for peace . In the next decade, other hot-button issues were the topics of many songs. For instance, Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On ” addressed not only the war, but also poverty and drug abuse. And Joni Mitchell’s 1970 hit “Big Yellow Taxi ” highlighted environmental concerns, which are still very much relevant today. Throughout the 1980s, 90s, and into the 21st century, many musicians continued to raise our awareness about a variety of problems in our society, urging us to take action both globally and in our own communities. Just as an example, in 1985 Steven Van Zandt formed the group “Artists United Against Apartheid” to protest apartheid in South Africa. The same year, Bob Gedolf organized a benefit concert that raised $245 million for famine relief in Ethiopia. And of course U2’s Bono has written and performed a number of songs of both social and political nature.

Life-altering music

As you can see, music has the power to do a lot of good in this world of ours. And what is your role in the larger scheme? Only you can answer this question, but here’s a fact: even if your music doesn’t unilaterally bring about world peace, it will very likely lift the spirits of those around you AND make you a more aware global citizen as well. How do we know this? There is actually evidence out there showing that musicians are sensitive people, finely tuned to the emotions of those around them. And people who are sensitive and compassionate are the ones who care about making a positive impact on the world around them. That is one more reason (in addition to so many others) why you or your child can benefit from music lessons. Contact us and we’ll send one of our excellent teachers right to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office. The impact of music is global, but it starts in your home!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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To most of us Thanksgiving means stuffed turkey with all the delicious trimmings, pecan and pumpkin pies for dessert, and afterwards a football game. That’s the traditional take on Thanksgiving. But there is no law, rule, or regulation that says it’s the only way to celebrate this holiday. Is there a reason you shouldn’t have pizza instead of turkey? No, there isn’t.

In fact, some folks are eschewing the customary way of celebrating Thanksgiving and creating some wacky traditions of their own. And that is okay – after all, change is good. So this blog is dedicated – in the words of Apple founder Steve Jobs – “to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.”

Re-writing tradition

A couple of years ago, USA TODAY asked its readers on Twitter about the unusual family traditions that people look forward to the most on Thanksgiving. Among some funky answers was a longstanding tradition of ordering Chinese food on Thanksgiving and eating it in the den. Another reader reported that much of the day is spent “hiding in the garage, sipping apple pie rum.” On another site, people report having Thanksgiving paintball tournaments, and roasting a turkey on a stick over a sage fire. And if you believe David Letterman, New York has a funky Thanksgiving tradition of its own, which has nothing to do with the Macy’s annual parade. “In New York City there are lots of engaging Thanksgiving traditions,” he said.  “For example, a lot of New Yorkers don’t buy the frozen Thanksgiving turkey. They prefer to buy the bird live and then push it in front of a subway train.” (Lest animal lovers take this seriously, let us assure you that Letterman was joking – at least we hope so!) And speaking of odd Thanksgivings, many of us tend to think that the modern version of this holiday is similar to the way Pilgrims celebrated it. If you subscribe to this view, you might be surprised by these archives from the Library of Congress. They show that 100 years ago, Thanksgiving was celebrated very much like the present-day Halloween is. It seems that back then “children and adults alike would dress up and go on ‘crawls’ in big cities like New York and Chicago… fantastically garbed youngsters and their elders were on every corner of the city.” Instead of turkeys, they would get “pennies and nickels, apples, or pieces of candy.” See? You learn something new every day!

Don’t forget the music!

If you are a traditionalist rather than an out-of-the-box thinker, you will probably want to celebrate Thanksgiving in the customary way. If so, have you thought about what background music will be playing while you feast? There are some very nice compilations that will make your meal even more special. And speaking of music, we’d like to remind you that our teachers are happy to follow tradition – the one that involves private music lessons in your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office.

The post Beyond the Turkey: New York Music School’s Take on a “Different” Thanksgiving appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

When you think about summer, do images of sandy beaches jump to mind? But what if you are spending the summer in the city – do you have to give up the thoughts of warm ocean breezes? Not at all! As New Yorkers, we are lucky to have some great beaches very close within our reach. In fact, NYC has a total of 14 miles of beaches, all of which are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Even though one moment you are caught up in the urban hustle and bustle, an hour or so later you could be lying on the sand and soaking up the sun.

As if by careful design – by actually by mere coincidence – these patches of sandy paradise can be found in most NYC boroughs, and even if you live in one that doesn’t boast its own beach (like Manhattan), the commute to one is – no pun intended – a breeze!

Summer in the city

Brooklyn offers lots of options, starting with the iconic Coney Island. It offers three miles of sandy beaches, not to mention the amusement park and boardwalk. It is such a famous part of our city’s landscape that Lou Reed actually sang about it. Then there is Manhattan Beach, which is actually located in Brooklyn’s southern tip, and is part of the larger area known as Brighton Beach. Now populated by Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, this sandy strip is called “Little Odessa.” Moving on to Queens, the Rockaway Beach is not only very large, but it is also the only one in New York City that has two separate stretches reserved just for surfing. And it was made famous by The Ramones’ 1977 hit song : “Chewin’ at a rhythm on my bubble gum The sun is out, I want some It’s not hard, not far to reach We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach.” The Orchard Beach in the Bronx offers 1.1- mile of sandy shoreline. When it was first created in the 1930s, it was named “The Riviera of New York!” If you live on Staten Island, you have plenty of choices: the South Beach, Midland Beach, or Wolfe’ Pond Beach. If you want to venture a bit further from the city, there’s Long Island’s Jones Beach. With a 6.5- mile stretch of sand and two swimming pools, it is one of New York state’s largest facilities of this kind.

Keep up the music!

We hope you will take advantage of the beaches that our city has to offer. After all, as the famous song says, in the summertime, the livin’ is (or at least should be) easy. Still, don’t forget to keep up your music training during the summer months – don’t let your guitar, piano, or other instruments get idle! Our teachers continue to give lessons regardless of the season. They will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, even if you don’t live by the beach!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Life’s a Beach, With New York Guitar School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

With a wide variety of music lessons we offer in Greenwich Village, Hey Joe Guitar fits right into this artsy and upbeat neighborhood.

The sounds of all the instruments we teach – guitar, piano, drums, trumpet, trombone, brass, reeds, saxophone, clarinet flute, violin, viola, cello, strings, accordion, ukulele, banjo, recorder, or mandolin (in addition to voice lessons) –blend in perfectly with the spirit of this lively and hip part of Lower Manhattan, which was once home to music legends like Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, and James Taylor.

Let’s take a walk along the streets that were once the stomping ground of Henry James, Edith Wharton, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Eugene O’Neill, Norman Rockwell, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and scores of other famous (and infamous) artists.

“Out-of-the-box” neighborhood

If you were asked which part of NYC is most bohemian and funky – from its shops, coffee houses, bars and music haunts to its people – chances are you wouldn’t say “Wall Street!” That’s because this title goes to Greenwich Village, a small area below 14th and north of Houston Street, which has long been an undisputed hub for rebellious musicians, artists, writers, and other creative types. During the 1950s, this neighborhood (made up of East and West Village) had become a haven for members of a sub-culture movement known as the “Beat Generation” – a phrase coined by writer Jack Kerouac to describe young people who eschewed tradition and practiced unconventional lifestyle such as communal living and psychedelic drugs. Sometime Greenwich Village resident himself, Kerouac pioneered not only the Beat Generation, but also the Hippie movement of the 1960s.

Perhaps it is not coincidental that the hippies, at least those who chose the East Coast over Berkeley, California, flocked to the Village, attracted by its free-spirited, non-conformist ambiance.

Kerouac conveniently lived just around the corner from the White Horse Tavern at Hudson and 11th Streets, a bohemian hangout also frequented by fellow writers Norman Mailer and Dylan Thomas.  The bar, first opened in 1880, is still a favorite haunt for local residents and tourists alike.

While it still retains much of its bohemian feel, over the years rental prices in this once inexpensive neighborhood have risen dramatically.

As Norman Mailer (founder of the Village Voice newspaper) put it: “I got to the Village in 1955. One of the ironies of today is that unless you’re pretty high up in the bourgeois world, you can’t afford to live in Greenwich Village.”

(Needless to say, this could be said about almost any area of New York City).

Bring on the music

Maybe because so many artists used to live or perform here (think Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Dave Brubeck, Sarah Vaughn, Lionel Hampton, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others), Greenwich Village has always had a vibrant and eclectic music scene, with excellent folk, blues, jazz and rock venues easy to find.

Here are some of Hey Joe Guitar’s favorite music haunts:

• The Bitter End rock club, at 147 Bleecker Street, where Stan Getz, Etta James, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell and thousands of other musicians and comedians used to perform, is still a lively music venue.

• When he first arrived in NYC in 1961, Bob Dylan performed Woody Guthrie songs at Cafe Wha (yes, it’s the right spelling!), 115 MacDougal Street, which still rocks with live music seven days a week.

• Scores of artists recorded their albums in the basement of Village Vanguard Jazz Club (178 Seventh Avenue South), including Sonny Rollins’s “A Night at he Village Vanguard” in 1957. Vanguard’s own jazz orchestra plays there every Monday night, and other performers make guest appearances throughout the week.

• Sara Vaughn, Lionel Hampton and Tito Puente are just some of the well-known performers who played at the Blue Note. This jazz club and restaurant at 131 West Third Street still has excellent live music every evening.

Finding good music is (literally) a walk in the park

Are you in the mood for live music but want to stay outdoors? Stroll along one of Greenwich Village’s open-air spaces, the Washington Square Park.

Known for an arch and New York university campus buildings surrounding it, the park has long been a gathering spot for students, chess players, street musicians, and other performers. Both Joan Baez and Bob Dylan used to sing here.

In the summer, there is a free festival featuring classical and chamber music, opera and jazz.

Clearly, wherever you go in this neighborhood, there is a wide variety of music to be found in clubs, bars, and on the streets.  All those wonderful sounds might inspire you to learn to play an instrument too. All you have to do is call us and we’ll come to your Greenwich Village home or office to teach you.

Sometimes, it really does take a Village!

***

Photo Credit : quapan

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As neighborhoods go, the Lower East Side (also known as LES) is a bustling, high-energy area that truly symbolizes the “melting pot” concept of people from different countries, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds living together. This kind of diversity defines not only the ambiance of the Lower East Side, but many other NYC neighborhoods as well.

Stretching east from the Bowery to the East River Park, bounded on the north by Houston Street and on the south by Canal Street and East Broadway, this once shabby part of Manhattan has morphed over the years into a trendy enclave.

But it wasn’t always like this.

Give me your tired, your poor…

“Everybody ought to have a Lower East Side in their life,” said famed composer Irving Berlin, who certainly knew what he was talking about because, upon their arrival in America in 1893, his family had lived in a cold-water-only basement apartment on Cherry Street. In fact, lower Manhattan is just a hop skip and jump away from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants were processed between 1892 and 1954. A lot of these people settled, like Berlin, on the LES, in what was then a gritty, crime-ridden slum. There is no better place to get a sense of how the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” used to live here than the Lower East Side Tenement Museum at 103 Orchard Street. In addition to being the epicenter of LES’s history, the eight blocks along Orchard Street provide great “retail therapy” – a wide variety of goods that can be bought at rock-bottom prices.

From rags to riches

In a way, the LES’s history is the quintessential story of the “American dream.”

From a poor neighborhood populated by immigrants trying to make a better life for themselves, the Lower East Side has gradually become a vibrant “in” place of entertainment, dining, and art galleries.

This part of Manhattan is also considered to be more relaxed than neighborhoods to the north. Its easy and casual vibe prompted Lady Gaga to leave her family’s Upper West Side apartment and move to the LES. Her digs at 176 Stanton Street were considerably less posh than her former home, but living in a slightly run-down house had allowed the budding artist to, as she put it, “understand a whole different side of the pavement.”

Another advantage of the Lower East Side, especially for the artsy, creative types, is its vicinity to the East Village.

The (relatively) new kid on the block

Geographically the East Village, bounded by Houston Street to 14th Street and East River to Fourth Avenue, is part of the Lower East Side.

However, geography aside, the East Village has forged an identity of its own. The beatniks, musicians, artists and hippies who flocked to Greenwich Village in the 1950s and 60s were also setting up camp in the eastern part of the neighborhood, which, fittingly enough, got the name of East Village. As a 1964 New York Times guide pointed out, “artists, poets and promoters of coffeehouses from Greenwich Village are trying to remelt the neighborhood under the high-sounding name of ‘East Village.’”

Funky and hip

East Village has many claims to fame, one of which is that it boasts the highest concentration of bars in NYC.

It was also a starting point for careers of numerous musicians like Patti Smith.  Bands such as The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Sly and the Family Stone, and the Allman Brothers also performed in the neighborhood.

What about today’s music scene?

It is just as alive. Here are just some of the places on the Lower East Side and East Village where you can listen to live performances:

• It may be called Arlene’s Grocery (and it used to be), but nowadays this venue at 95 Stanton Street (not far from where Lady Gaga used to live) features up-and-coming bands.

• Every night, Joe’s Pub at 425 Lafayette Street has live performances of various music styles.

• Are you a fan of experimental and avant-garde music? You can hear some every night between 8 and 10 PM at the Stone, located on the corner of Avenue C and Second Street.

Call us, maybe

Okay, so we are making a reference here to Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song, but, kidding aside, if you live or work on the Lower East Side or in the East Village (or any other part of Manhattan for that matter), we’ll be happy to come to you and give you music lessons.

We teach a variety of instruments, whatever your age and level may be.

So do call us –no ifs, buts, ands, or…maybes!

***

Photo Credit: Paul Lowry

The post High Times in Low Manhattan (It Includes East Village Too)! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Her website mentions how, as a child, she used to go to fancy restaurants in the neighborhood and dance around, using her breadsticks as batons. Later, she waitressed at an Upper West Side diner and bought herself a Gucci handbag with the money she made at that job. However, the multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artist is not the only famous musician who lived on Upper West Side or sought Manhattan music lessons. Scores (no pun intended) of music greats also flocked to the neighborhood at one time or another: Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Judy Collins, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Sting, James Taylor, and Madonna are just some of the celebrated performers who made their home in this part of Manhattan, nestled between Central Park and the Hudson River, and West 59^th and 110^th Streets. As a matter of fact, some neighborhood landmarks had become indelibly linked with the music industry legends who lived or worked here over the years. For example, the iconic Dakota building on West 72nd Street has become known as the home of John Lennon, Leonard Bernstein, and Judy Garland; Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Gustav Mahler composed at the storied Ansonia at 2109 Broadway, also the stomping ground of Enrico Caruso and Arturo Toscanini. There may be a reason why the Ansonia, originally a hotel, was a favorite haunt for performers. According to a New York Times article, the building’s architect, William Earl Dodge Stokes, “built it for musicians, and that’s why the doors to each apartment were double-width, so grand pianos could easily be moved in and out. It’s also been claimed that the temperature-control system, a great benefit for sinuses, lured singers.” Alive with the sound of music A diverse and vibrant part of NYC, the Upper West Side is a veritable treasure trove of arts and culture. The famous Julliard School of Music, Lincoln Center, the Avery Fisher Hall — home of the New York Philharmonic — as well as Metropolitan Opera are also located here. But classical music is not the only kind that resounds through the neighborhood. Various local venues offer excellent live jazz, blues, rock, and other beats to satisfy all tastes. And since Upper West Side is part of the city that never sleeps, most of these clubs are jamming it up into the wee hours of the morning. For example, The Smoke Club at 2751 Broadway, Cleopatra’s Needle, 2485 Broadway, or Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola (33 W 60th St), are just three the of many great places where you can listen to hot live jazz or jazz and blues. Have instrument will travel Given such a rich and eclectic musical tradition, is it any wonder that we at Hey Joe Guitar music school absolutely LOVE the Upper West Side? We are happy to be a part of this neighborhood and nurture its residents’ love and appreciation of music by teaching them to play a variety of instruments in the comfort and convenience of their Upper West Side home or office. And don’t be misled by our name – we are not just a guitar school and don’t only offer guitar lessons. Like the neighborhood we live in, we are much more versatile than that. With Hey Joe Guitar, you can learn to play practically any instrument: guitar, piano, voice, drums, trumpet, trombone, brass, reeds, saxophone, clarinet flute, violin, viola, cello, strings, accordion, ukulele, banjo, recorder, and mandolin. We also offer composition, songwriting, and voice lessons; in fact, we can give you any type of music lesson you can think of. With such broad and diverse offerings, we are a good fit with Upper West Side, a bustling neighborhood that Lady Gaga and many other prominent artists call “home.”

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