Guitar Lessons in Louisiana

How guitar learning works in Louisiana

Louisiana’s student guitar route centers on the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA), which runs All-State Guitar Ensemble auditions for eligible high school players and solo and ensemble assessments. These serve different goals: All-State is a selective ensemble honor, while assessments let a player receive a rating on a prepared selection. The Louisiana High School Rally Association (LHSRA) offers another music-event route after a Superior rating at a District Rally or LMEA contest. For you or your child, that distinction helps match the next step to an interest in ensemble playing or individual performance.

Auditions and events in Louisiana

How does a guitarist reach Louisiana's top student honors?

Louisiana’s clearest guitar honor is the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA) All-State Guitar Ensemble, reached through one live monitored district audition. The district director records the audition and sends it to the state guitar chair for adjudication, so the route is a single performance rather than a separate round of callbacks. Students whose schools have no guitar program can still audition with certification from an eligible school music teacher or an LMEA-member private teacher. The fall process usually closes in early October, selected students register in early November, and All-State events take place in January. Middle school students also have a route into the All-State Middle School Jazz Ensemble.

What do auditions ask you to prepare?

For LMEA solo and small ensemble assessments, a guitarist prepares one selection that fits a six-minute performance limit. Players may perform from memory or with music, but must give the judge an original score with numbered measures; the same instrument is limited to one solo and two ensemble entries. The All-State Guitar audition uses the current set’s scales followed by prepared selections in the required order, recorded as one unedited file. In weekly lessons, a focused event piece usually takes three to six months to prepare, so begin early enough to learn it securely rather than rush the final weeks.

What else is there to enter?

LMEA solo and small ensemble assessments give guitarists a chance to perform and receive a rating without pursuing an All-State place. Each selection has a six-minute limit, so students choose music they can present securely within that window. A $5 fee applies per solo or ensemble member. These assessments suit players who want a judged performance experience while continuing their regular school or private study.

Homeschool and private school students

Louisiana law says an approved home-study student who lives in a public school’s attendance zone cannot be excluded from extracurricular activities solely because of home-study status. The student must follow the same tryout or application process as enrolled students, so ask the public school about its process for the activity you have in mind.

Starting at any age

Starting a child on guitar

Guitar is a practical first instrument once a child can hold it comfortably and use both hands with control; smaller-bodied guitars help younger beginners. In Zachary, choir starts in fourth grade and band and orchestra in fifth, while Pineville Elementary begins band and strings in fifth, so private guitar study can develop reading and steady practice before school ensembles become an option. A teacher builds those skills at the child’s pace and can keep lessons connected to the music they enjoy.

A teen in Louisiana

A teen can begin guitar without waiting for a school guitar class, then work toward Louisiana’s high school All-State Guitar Ensemble if they attend an accredited Louisiana high school and meet its participation or certification route. Audition season begins in the fall, with All-State events in January, so a steady weekly lesson rhythm gives a new player time to build technique and repertoire. Students who are not ready for that honor can still perform through LMEA solo and ensemble assessments.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults in Louisiana can learn guitar for personal playing or join informal music-making rather than follow a school honor route. L’Union Française in New Orleans hosts a monthly French and Creole music jam where guitarists of all ages can bring an instrument, and JAMbalaya Acoustic Music Jam in Arnaudville welcomes beginners to play or listen. It is not too late to start or return; a dedicated teacher can meet you at your current level and shape lessons around the music you want to play.

Finding the right teacher

What should a good guitar teacher do?

A strong guitar teacher listens closely to the sound you or your child wants and builds technique, reading, and repertoire around that goal. For a student considering Louisiana’s LMEA audition or solo assessment, the teacher should be comfortable guiding focused preparation without making every lesson feel like a contest. Age, experience, and personality matter too: a returning adult needs a different pace from a young beginner. At Lesson With You, you can choose a teacher yourself or ask us to recommend one, and every teacher holds at least a bachelor’s degree in guitar.

How do live online guitar lessons work?

A live Zoom guitar lesson lets your teacher hear tone, timing, and note changes as you play, while the camera shows your picking and fretting hands. Set the device so both hands and your posture are visible, with the guitar in tune and music within reach; your teacher can demonstrate and respond in real time. There is no commute, and you can work with a teacher who fits rather than only the closest option. In New Orleans and Opelousas, you get the same choice of teacher and the same weekly one-on-one lesson with someone who gets to know how you learn.

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Guitar in Louisiana

Where to hear guitar

In New Orleans, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026–27 season includes orchestral and chamber programs, and K–12 and university students with current ID can buy a student-price ticket for each concert. Lafayette’s Festival International de Louisiane returns downtown April 21–25, 2027, with free general admission and music from Louisiana and around the world. In Baton Rouge, Live After Five offers free downtown concerts, a useful way for a guitarist to hear live music across styles.

Where to play with others

Across Louisiana, guitarists can join informal music-making as well as pursue school honors. In Port Allen, the Cajun French Music Association’s jam at the West Baton Rouge Museum usually meets on the third Sunday of the month and welcomes Cajun musicians for free. In Arnaudville, the JAMbalaya Acoustic Music Jam meets on the first Sunday and welcomes experienced and beginner musicians to play or listen. These gatherings offer a low-pressure way to build ensemble listening and playing experience.

Guitar around Louisiana, area by area

Shreveport area

Shreveport offers two free ways to hear live music. The Levitt AMP Shreveport Music Series brings family-friendly concerts to Caddo Common Park in summer and fall, while the annual Highland Jazz & Blues Festival features live jazz and blues at Columbia Park. Both give you or your child a chance to hear guitar in different live settings and connect private practice with music made for an audience.

Lafayette area

In Lafayette, students and families can receive free tickets to Acadiana Symphony Orchestra regular-season and chamber-series concerts through its Ticket Angels program. Free public student recitals and ensemble concerts also offer a chance to hear young performers. These events let a guitarist hear how focused practice carries into performance and give families a welcoming first concert experience.

Mandeville area

Slidell’s free Bayou Jam at Heritage Park generally takes place in March and April, then again in September and October. In Covington, Sunset at the Landing offers free downtown concerts on third Fridays from March through October. Together, these recurring events give families in the area simple opportunities to hear live music and help a student listen closely to how guitar fits into a group.

Houma area

Thibodaux has two free listening options rooted in local music. The Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center hosts concerts featuring South Louisiana music every Tuesday, and Boogie on the Bayou brings live music to downtown. For a young guitarist, hearing these sounds in public settings connects home practice with musical traditions heard across the region.

Lake Charles area

Lake Charles’ Downtown at Sundown concerts are free and open to the public, offering a regular way to hear live music downtown. The free Red, White, Blue and You family event on July 4, 2027, also includes a patriotic concert and live entertainment. These community performances give a student a relaxed chance to listen for guitar parts in a live setting.

Monroe area

The free Brown Bag Concert Series brings live music to Monroe’s Palace Park on Wednesdays in October from noon to 1 p.m. For a guitarist, hearing performers in an informal park setting can make musical details easier to notice and remember. Families can make a short concert visit part of a student’s listening life without needing a formal concert outing.

Alexandria area

Alex River Fête is a free, three-day downtown festival in Alexandria with live music and children’s activities. Families can also look forward to Summer Sounds by Brophy, a free concert series that usually takes place in July. These community events give young guitarists a welcoming way to hear live performance and discover how their instrument fits among other sounds.

A little guitar history in Louisiana

Guitar belongs to many Louisiana traditions, including blues, country, jazz, gospel, Cajun and zydeco, and rock. Shreveport’s James Burton played with the Louisiana Hayride house band in the early 1950s and backed country and rockabilly performers; New Orleans’ Snooks Eaglin and Lafayette’s Sonny Landreth are also notable guitarists. That range gives a student more than one musical direction to explore, while showing how guitar has held a place in the state’s varied local sounds.