Local musician and educator Jess Garland will provide free guitar lessons at the Lake Highlands School of Music through the end of September.
Jess Garland. Photo by Danny Fulgencio
As part of her nonprofit work through 501(c) (3) organization Swan Strings, of which she is the founding director, Garland will provide four classes each week at LHSM until Sept. 30. There will be two classes offered on both Monday and Wednesday, with hour-long sessions available beginning either at 5:30 or 6:30 p.m.Â
The classes are available to all children and adults eight-years-old and up. Guitars will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Garland said walk-ins are welcome, although priority will be given to those who register. To register, contact info@swanstrings.com.Â
The classes begin tonight, Aug. 1.
Flyer courtesy of Jess Garland.
Jess Garland is a local songwriter and musician who has extensive experience in charitable music outreach. She has previously offered similar classes in Lakewood and Oak Cliff, and is the executive director at Girls Rock Dallas. Garland is also a member of the millennial board at The Black Academy of Arts & Letters, the auxiliary board at The AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Arts Council for Booker T. Washington High School of Performing and Visual Arts.
“Practicing an instrument is like a spiritual workout,” Garland told The Advocate in 2019. “You have to sit and be still. You have to turn off other things and focus. You get to learn a lot about yourself when you’re practicing an instrument. Are you going to keep trying or give up? It’s a discipline.”
