We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephen Carrington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephen, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
One of my favorite books, and one that has helped shaped my musical career, is The Music Lesson by renowned bassist Victor Wooten. It takes a very esoteric, almost “Zen-like” approach to the age-old concept of the music lesson—going way beyond pedagogy and music theory, it adds a very personal element to the mix (which is often missing in contemporary musical instruction). It’s often not easy to convey those sorts of things to a student in a traditional music lesson setting, and The Music Lesson has given me many great ideas about important musical concepts that I’ve then been able to bring to my students and ultimately help them become better musicians—which has also helped me become a better musician as well in the process!

What should our readers know about your business?
I believe Stephen’s Guitar Lessons is the best lessons value in the metro Atlanta area, because I not only have the skills, expertise and experience to help practically anyone hone their guitar skills, but I also have the most flexibility when it comes to the “boring” aspects of music lessons. I offer lessons six days a week, I’m an expert at remote lessons (something very important these days!), and I also have some of the best rates in town. I’ve been doing this for many years—in fact, in September of 2020 I will hit my 10-year anniversary!—and in that time I’ve improved my methods so that I can meet the needs of every student, regardless of their skill level or previous experience.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well…right now, under lock-down restrictions due to the coronavirus, I would have to do everything virtually: the High Museum of Art has a really cool virtual tour online, Georgia Public Broadcasting has partnered with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to provide virtual field trips and performances, and while the Atlanta Jazz Fest may be currently up in the air for this year there are lots of audio and video clips on their website for perusal during this unprecedented time. But under normal circumstances, I would love to introduce folks to my favorite restaurant in the metro area: Seed, in Marietta. It’s the most amazing food, and they never fail to impress me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve always been appreciative of my middle school band director, Al Hager; it was his encouragement throughout my formative middle school years that helped me take my passion for music and transform it into something that I’ve not only treasured for my entire life, but I’ve now also been able to effectively communicate that passion to others through music lessons. Thanks so much, Mr. Hager!

Website: https://www.StephensGuitarLessons.com
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Image Credits
Jerry Hale Kris Hale