This month, we’re excited to feature guitar student Dean Del Mar!
Dean is currently a sixth grader at Union Colony Prep. He studies guitar with Mr. Thomas, who nominated him for this feature due to his recent progress in lessons.
Pictured right: Dean performing at the 2019 Fall Festival.
Remarks from Mr. Thomas about Dean:
“Dean has been a student of mine for about five years. In fact, he started with me before I joined Flourish and it has been wonderful to see him grow and mature into a young adult who prides himself on doing things correctly and thoroughly in all activities. Especially musically, he has come a long way from Book 1 (Hal Leonard) all the way through Book 3 and beyond into song books of popular music and his favorite — Video game music! Video games are a passion of his outside of music and I just LOVE the fact that he connects that passion to another passion of his — Music! Video game theme songs can prove to be VERY challenging and Dean is doing GREAT tackling his newest book of just such themes/music. His dad is a drummer as well. So, Dean has been focusing most of his energy lately on learning more accurate rhythms for picking and strumming guitar music. He also always asks excellent questions related to material we are studying that shows he has not only been studying, but critically thinking about, the music we are engaging. Dean plays acoustic AND electric guitar and has a wide variety of styles he likes to listen to… Everything from Beethoven/Bach/Mozart pieces out of his books to Green Day songs in his popular music books!”
Read the interview below to learn more about Dean.
How long have you taken guitar lessons?
5-6 years.
What do you love about playing guitar?
Being able to play some of my favorite songs!
Mr. Thomas says you’ve recently made great progress in reading rhythms. What are some things (tips, practice techniques, etc.) that have helped with that?
My dad played his drum pad along with me, using a metronome, and practicing daily.
What do you like about Flourish?
The great teachers and the kind students.
What else do you like to do?
Drawing, playing outside, and playing games.
Dean (pictured center) performed in our virtual Fall Festival in October.