Good Guitar Academy at 4705 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

If you’re interested in learning guitar, we highly recommend Kale!

We found out about Kale’s studio from a flyer in a West Philly cafe. We had been thinking about music lessons for our then 3-year-old son. We weren’t necessarily wanting to learn the guitar, or to come to West Philly for lessons, but I believe the most important thing is having a connection with a great teacher. So on a whim we took Kale’s first free lesson, and we loved it and made the commitment, and haven’t regretted it for a second.

Kale has an amazing ability to connect with students of any age, and it has been amazing for us to see our young son develop a respect for his teacher and the instrument, and an enjoyment of making music and making progress through practice. His relationship with him is distinct from any relationship he has with his daycare teachers or his parents. It’s a rich enhancement of his overall view of the world and himself.

It’s been nine months, and we’re now getting more involved in the group lessons — these, and the recitals, have proven really great for inspiring our son and making him feel like part of a bigger thing.

I think my favorite thing about our lessons is to see Kale meet our son where he is at each time and then find a way to learn more about himself at the same time as learning more about music — quite a feat given that it can be hard to get a four-year-old to do much of anything if they’re not in the right mood.

One other thing: we've had a complicated schedule in recent months, and Kale has been a mensch about accommodating us when we needed to be absent or to change a lesson time. He is good at setting clear expectations in his studio policies, but he has been humane and flexible to the extent possible.