Free guitar workshops in Whitefish, C. Falls

As part of its Community Guitar Education Program, the Crown of the Continent Guitar Workshop will offer two free guitar workshops for school-age children and community residents in Columbia Falls and Whitefish Aug. 27.

The classes will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at North Valley Music School, 432 Spokane Ave. in Whitefish, and at Teakettle Community Hall, 235 Nucleus Ave., Columbia Falls.

According to guitar foundation Chairman David Feffer, the goal of the Community Youth Guitar Education Program is to introduce residents of the Flathead Valley to the guitar and to studying and enjoying music overall. The program is a collaborative effort between North Valley Music School, First Best Place and the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation, all nonprofit, community-based organizations.

Susan Mazer and Tobias Hurwitz, who are on the workshop staff of the Crown of the Continent Guitar Workshop, will be teaching the classes. Mazer will focus on beginning students, demonstrating the intricate fingerstyle playing of the acoustic guitar.

She began playing at 8 years old, and while still in high school, she studied with Benji Arnoff, a protege of Doc Watson, and attended Berklee’s college-prep summer program. She received her Bachelor of Music degree at Hartt School of Music.

Hurwitz is a leader in the field of guitar performance and education. He loves Zen guitar and the art of guitar shredding, and has released three instrumental rock CDs. He is widely published and has authored 11 books on guitar technique.

He’s involved in the cyber scene, with dozens of lessons available on the website www.workshoplive.com. He has jammed or recorded with many of the world’s top players, including Stanley Clarke, Michael Angelo Batio, Mattias Ia Eklundh, Dennis Chambers, The Coasters, J. Geils and Joe Pass, to name a few.

The free classes are underwritten by Plum Creek of Columbia Falls and the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation. Seating is limited for the free classes.

For more information, call Heidi at North Valley Music School, 862-8074; or Leslie at First Best Place, 892-1363.

For more information about the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation and the 2012 workshop, go to www.cocguitarfoundation.org.