Cassandra Music

I teach in an easy, flowing, friendly manner.  Often beginning lessons with a short chat or introduction then moving into review and rehearsal and then introducing new material.

I have a very strong lesson plan that is adjustable depending on the level and interest of the beginning to the advanced student. These can be Guitar Basics, Bluegrass, Finger Style, Flat Picking, Banjo, Mandolin, Rock-a-billy, or Jazz.  Each has been compiled and put into book form as one of 15 different manuals which are designed to take 2-3 years each to complete.

As an example these are tye first six lesson plans in the Guitar Instructor Book 1:

Lesson 1


Goals

Recreational Playing

Productive Practicing

Guitar Components

Holding The Guitar

Left Hand Positioning

Picks

Strumming

Tuning

Chord Charting

Basic Chords
Lesson 2


Switching Chords

Rhythm Charting

Basic Chord Progressions
Lesson 3


Chord Progressions

Chord Progressions
Lesson 4


Basic Musicianship

Standard Notation

Rests

Position Playing

Key of C Major

Exercises 1, 2,3

Chord Progressions
Lesson 5


The Key of C Chords

The First Position G

Adding the Low B Note

Chord Progressions
Lesson 6


Basic Rhythms

Learning the Folk Rhythm

Adding Upper Notes

Phil Started studying music on the piano in 1962.  He studied vocal music and music theory throughout high school and college where he attended Green River College from 1976-1980 majoring in composition and music theory.    During his time there he was the assistant vocal instructor under Ron Smith from 1977-1978 where he managed the vocal groups, wrote 6 part vocal arrangements and rehearsed the back up instrumentalists.

Upon his graduation with high honors he was recruited to continue as the vocal music instructor and to develop and teach a credited guitar course.  He continued in that role from 1978-1986.  He returned in 1988 and taught until 1996.  In 2008 he returned once again and taught until his retirement in 2013.  In 1988 he began to teach simultaneity at Bellevue College where he developed their guitar program and taught until 1996. The college also published the first of his 15 on Guitar Basics from 1988-1996.

In 1988 Hansen returned to academic studies attained an Accounting and Business Management degree from Griffin College graduating in 1989 with honors.  While there he served as the assistant to the accounting instructor and as a math and business tutor.

Hansen has been teaching since 1972. In that time he was on staff where he taught credited college music classes for 23 years at Green River College, and at Bellevue College fore 10 years., high school and junior core curriculum classes for another 5 years. In addition, he has been subcontracting into stores continuously teaching private one on one lessons since June of 1978. In his time as a teacher Phil has maintained a good, strong track record of success, a good professional reputation and has taught over 5000 students many of whom stay with him for a very long time. In his current private student list he has 3 students who have been with him between 15 & 30 years and another 9 for between 4 and 10 years.

Phil has maintained a policy to be dedicated to serve the needs of the student. He will only recommend or prescribe as he feels is necessary and strives to be sensitive to the needs, finances and comfort levels of the student.

He has written 15 published books The Guitar Instructor 1-2 (Published 1988 Bellevue College) on guitar basics, Book 3-4 on bluegrass (Published Cassandra Music 2017) , Book 5 on flat picking solos (Published Cassandra Music 2012),  Book 6 on Contemporary Finger style (Published Cassandra Music 2013), Book 7 on Advanced Contemporary Finger style (Published Cassandra Music 2014), The Mandolin Instructor Book 1-2 (Published 2010) The Banjo Instructor (Published Cassandra Music 2020), The Banjo instructor 2 advanced solos is under editing and planned publication by Cassandra Music in the summer 2020.  He still writes and records consistently.

Over the years Phil has  logged thousands of performances in numerous bands, orchestras and pit orchestras, and as a solo since the early 70s. He has played in The Eastside Orchestra (1987-1992), and played in the pit orchestra for 8 Musicals including “Carousel”, “Cabaret”, “The Music Man”, “The Sound of Music”, “The Boy Friend”, “Cotton Patch Gospel”, and “In Vita en Requiem” (2 times).

These days (in 2020) he directs, plays, and performs in “The Golden Age Mandolins”, plays bass with the “The Blue Team” at The Summit in Enumclaw, Washington several times a month as he has since 2007, and works with his own group “Acoustic Couti”.

Current Policies:

1) Tuition:  Fees are $140 a month and are due and payable at the first lesson of each month.  Fees are collected in advance and are non-refundable under any circumstance.       

2) Lessons are scheduled with open enrollment and a student can begin lessons at any time with no penalty. The first months lessons will be prorated as to the number of remaining lessons in that month. A student may discontinue lessons at the end of any month with no advance notice.

3) Scheduling: Lesson times are scheduled in advance to be at a set time and on a set day of the week.  

4)  The prepaid tuition reserves a slot in the schedule that will provide between 3 and 5 lessons per month. Every third month is a 5 week month.  There is no extra charge for these five week months and the extra weeks lesson (if there is one) is used to make up for lost weeks because of holidays, vacation, or illness be it because of the students or the teachers. Under this method students receive 48 (plus or minus 1) lesson per year if they attend all of their scheduled lessons.  This is what is being charged for and is pro-rated over the entire year.

5)  Lesson Duration: Lesson duration is approximately 30 minutes and includes greeting, entering, and set up, tuning, rehearsal, instruction, discussion and exiting time.  Because it is important that lessons run as close as possible to the half hour lesson times have to begin when the previous student has vacated the class room and will last approximately 27 minutes until the half hour mark. At that time the student will be dismissed.  Students often take 2-3 minutes to leave because of additional questions, breaking down and packing up.  This 2 -3 minute grace period is included in the scheduled lesson time and is extended to each subsequent student during the day.  Occasionally the day may need to be adjusted off the half hour because of unforeseen circumstances but the 27 minute 3 minute rule will continue to apply through out the day.

6)  Holidays: Lessons can only occur if the store is open.  Traditional holidays when stores are closed are New Years Eve, New Years, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas.  As stores are independently owned some stores may choose some additional days which must be honored. Schools maintain their own schedules and lessons will be made to fit within those schedules.

7)  Vacations:  Phil will usually take a full week in April or May and another in November or December.  These are usually scheduled 6 months to a year in advance.  Additional days are taken as long week ends and are again scheduled well in advance.  He tries to schedule vacations so that they encircle the 5 week months so that he can keep lost lesson time to a minimum.  

8)  Other lost days are rare but can occur.  They are recorded and if they extend outside of the guidelines adjustments can be made.

9)  Records of student’s attendance and payments are kept and if a student is missing too much time so as to be outside of the 48 lessons a year guidelines adjustments can be made in the form of make up lessons which are held at the teacher’s discretion and availability.  Note: Phil teaches 6 days a week in 3 separate locations so a student can attend a blank slot on a different day in a different location if one exists and both the teacher and student are available.

Students Responsibilities:

1)      Arrive at lessons on time, be at the door and ready with their instrument and instructional materials when the previous student leaves.

2)      Practice consistently under the procedures outlined during the lessons.

3)      Listen and follow instructions.

4)      Be friendly and courteous to staff and other customers in the store.

5)      Keep their instrument in good repair with clean, functioning strings or other components.

6)      Purchase strings, lesson materials, and other equipment as needed and prescribed by the teacher.

Thank you for your understanding of the way that lessons have to be run in order to keep things balanced and on time for all students involved and keep a schedule that will work for everyone.