My daughter has always been interested in music. From a young age, she loved watching Disney’s Little Einsteins, and singing and dancing to any music. She was given a set of musical instruments from my sister, and she frequently hands them out to us and asks us to create a band with her. So I was thrilled when we were given the chance to check out this interactive guitar books for kids. It is a fun book for teaching kids to play guitar!

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Beginner’s Guitar for Kids with Winden and Squiggy: Teach Yourself to Play the Guitar was written by Corey Klaus and illustrated by Pamela Hodges. This book is stuffed full of information, easy activities, musical knowledge, and coloring pages. The book starts by following Winden, a young girl who wants to learn to play the guitar. She visits a music store to find the right guitar for her, teaching the reader how they can also find the right one for themselves. The book then moves from a story to more of an educational guide. The cute characters still pop in to engage the reader, and there are lots of opportunities for creative freedom.

I had a chance to talk to the author about his inspiration and background.

What inspired you to write this book?

As a guitar teacher, I spent years teaching kids and adults. When teaching the older students, I used the Mel Bay method. With younger students, I noticed a child’s need for fun and learning were a little different. I couldn’t find a book that was truly engaging enough that would also give children a break to create and play. I wrote the book I needed to see in the world.

The concept of the book I wanted to write was for the perspective of a child. It incorporates the way I teach students of all ages by starting from the very beginning, from where to get a guitar to how to hold a guitar. I wanted part of the book’s curriculum to incorporate the very overlooked basics that I get asked about from younger students. The idea for kids to take breaks in their guitar playing to use the coloring exercise prompts is an attempt to let kids give their attention a rest and to be creative in other ways. Ultimately I believe that we can only help a student when they’re allowed to let loose at times.

How did you come up with the concept and the characters?

The character formation came to me from a chance conversation with a woman named Winden. It was a name I hadn’t heard before, and I liked it! I saw how she carried herself and her love for nature and animals. The character of Winden was reverse engineered from what I thought the grown adult Winden was like as a child. Strange, I know.

The idea of the Snake, Winden’s best friend named Squiggy, at first seemed like a silly idea. But the idea was too absurd not to use it. Squiggy came to life when I brought it to my illustrator. The name Squiggy was borrowed from my cousin’s new dog of this name. Also, Mr. Tom, the wise Owl that runs the music store Tom’s Music, is based off of my old boss, the first person to ever hire me as a guitar teacher, Mr. Tom Henderson of George’s Music.

What is your background with music and guitars?

I’ve taught guitar since 2005, and have been playing guitar for over 20 years. I took formal lessons as a child and then branched out playing in bands with friends for most of my youth. I’ve taught guitar to every age, but some of the most fun I’ve had was teaching classes for kids at the YMCA, teaching classrooms of kids, and getting them all to have fun. It was a great time for us all.

Introducing the Guitar

I really liked the way that the book started by introducing the parts of the guitar. The text is easy for kids to understand and the large, clear illustrations provide them with a great reference. There are pages that act as guides, introducing the reader to the notes for each string or the numbers assigned to each finger. The same pages are then repeated with blanks, encouraging kids to recall the information and fill in the blanks. This repetition is a great way to help kids commit these important facts to memory.

Learning to Pick, Strum and Play Chords

Once the reader has a handle on the notes and the correct way to hold the guitar, the book dives in to practicing notes, picking, strumming, and chords. The activities are easy for kids to understand. There are large, clear illustrations, with lots of places to color, and easy songs and exercises. The story repeats each activity enough times to ensure that kids have a handle on it before moving on to another concept. There are also lots of blank sheets of music for kids to have fun creating their own chords and music.

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Helpful Tips & Memory Devices

I was pleasantly surprised by the immense amount of information contained in this book and the easy way that it introduces a wealth of musical concepts to kids. I have a history of playing piano, so I am familiar with how to read music. But I have never learned the guitar, so it was helpful for me to see the notes broken down differently. My daughter is very young, so the way that the book repeats the same notes over and over again helped her to commit it to memory before moving on to the next note.

The way that the concepts were broken down make it easy for kids and adults of all ages to learn how to read notes, build chords, and play sheet music. There are plenty of helpful tips and reminders, including a memory device for remembering the notes attributed to each string. I learned a similar method when I was learning piano and it still comes to mind years later.

Let Them Be Creative

The blank spaces and open sheet music in the book invites kids to be creative in their musical endeavors. For kids who are better at learning in an open ended and free manner, the encouragement from the characters to fill the pages with their own designs, music, and color is a welcome addition. Kids can work through the book from start to finish as they learn. But they can also jump around and add their own flourishes to the pages throughout.

Overall, I love that this book encourages kids to learn the guitar in a fun and unique way. Obviously I love that it uses a storytelling format to engage them, but I also really appreciate the interactive style of the book. From fill in the blank exercises that increase their memory, to the pages that encourage their creativity and imagination through designing their own guitars, there is plenty in the book to keep kids of all learning styles interested.

Have you tried teaching kids to play guitar? Share your stories in the comments!

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