EDTC300,  Learning Project,  Week 1

Enthusiasm is everything.

How do you begin something new? What things do you need? Enthusiasm is one thing and personal connection is another. These, of course, are not the only things. This is the beginning of a new experience: learning to play my electric guitar.

To preface this, I have owned the electric guitar and equipment for almost 13 months. I have also paid for a mobile app, Fender Play, for the same amount of time. I still have yet to pick it up and learn to play it.

The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.

B.B. King

I have also grown up with many people playing guitar around me. When I was young and visiting my grandparents, my Grandpa would play and sing his favourite songs and we would sing along. My Mom learned from my Grandpa, so she had her own guitar and played around me as well. When he passed, my brother, Nathan, picked up the skill and played in a few “garage” bands. Although, it was not common to hear him play a whole song – just a whole lot of Smoke on the Water. When my Grandma was sick, she was living with us, at my Mom’s house, for quite some time and she loved playing as well – I think it reminded her about Grandpa and it brought her closer to him.

As you can see, guitars have brought many memories to me as a child and an adult. I think this is why I am so interested, especially being “musically ungifted.”

My goal is not black and white. Something like this takes time to learn and I intend this learning to go very slowly. I would ultimately love to learn to play a Maroon 5 song but will consider it a success if I learn a few notes. If I pick the right Maroon 5 song, I might be okay with a few notes!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, my baseline is that I cannot read music, play notes or songs, etc. If I learn anything, this project will have succeeded. I have also found out that playing an electric guitar is harder than an acoustic guitar yet, here I am, owning an electric guitar instead (I thought it was cooler).

FUN FACT

Electric guitars have lighter strings and are smaller. Acoustic guitars are heavier and have a thicker neck because of the heavier strings. Electric guitars kind of require an amplifier, which I have, to enhance the learning process.

THINGS I NEED

  • electric guitar
  • amplifier
  • guitar instrument cable
  • FenderPlay mobile app
  • FenderTune mobile app
  • endless picks

REACHING MY GOAL

What is a goal without some measures? Think SMART, if you will: Specifically, I want to learn to play chords and notes, enough to play a Maroon 5 song by the end of the #edtc300 course. To measure this goal, I will take video, screenshots, etc to track my progress. As far as this goal being attainable, I believe it is because I have set out low expectations and expect to exceed them; therefore, I will adjust my goal accordingly as the weeks go by. Realistically, I could practice more or less each week, however, 3 hours is more than achievable. I will practice 3 hours per week for a total of 13 weeks. This practice will include a lesson or two from the FenderPlay app. I will have achieved this goal if I am able to play a Maroon 5 song.

I really look most forward to feeling a connection to my Grandpa that passed and playing some of the songs he loved.

Follow along to see how things progress with this goal!

Hi there, I am a new mom and am a 2nd-year teacher. I pushed through 2020 by hitting the most milestones during a pandemic - we bought a house, got married, and had a baby! I left my last teaching job, in Alberta, just prior to the pandemic and thankfully moved home to Regina, SK before the provinces were shut down. Now that it is 2021 and I have a new baby, I am making use of this down time and being stuck at home - I started my path towards a certificate in extended studies in Secondary Mathematics.

2 Comments

  • Maya Rosenberg

    Hi Allysia,

    It’s great to meet you, hear your stories in the “about me” and see your project, this sounds so much fun! I love your layout, humor, colors and how your blog feels. I also appreciate how you approach setting new goals, I find I always set up too much for myself and than have a hard time coming through- simplifying is key and good to be reminded of. Thank you.

    Music is such a big part of my life and I think it’s so wonderful you chose a goal about it! I can’t play anything but am a great listener 🙂 My partner is a musician and I’m the one that when I hike and sing to scare the bears away I get people asking me to be quiet haha!

    I love Maroon 5 and voted for your song- moves like a Jagger- hope this will be a fun adventure to learn! Looking forward to see and hear your music.

    Maya

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