Guitar Lessons in Wyoming

How guitar learning works in Wyoming

Wyoming's student routes divide between school honor groups and performance assessments. The Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) lists All-State Music and district music clinics, while the Wyoming Music Educators Association (WMEA) runs district Music Performance Assessments where an outside educator evaluates soloists and ensembles. For guitar, jazz players have an All-State audition route; district assessments offer individual and ensemble evaluation, but do not name a guitar solo category or a state advancement round. That distinction helps you choose a goal that fits the instrument rather than assume every honor route includes guitar.

Auditions and events in Wyoming

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

Wyoming guitarists have a state-level honor route through All-State Jazz, while district Music Performance Assessments offer a separate chance to perform for an evaluator. The jazz audition is recorded, and students selected for the event gather in Evanston on February 1–2, 2027. Keep that route distinct from the broader All-State Music event in January, which names Honor Band, Orchestra, and Choir rather than a guitar honor group. District assessments generally fall in March or April and evaluate individual or ensemble performances, giving guitarists another performance goal during the school year.

What do auditions ask you to prepare?

Wyoming's 2026–27 All-State instrumental jazz audition asks guitarists to submit two recordings, one each for Etude A1, “Shuffle,” and Etude A2, “Funk.” Each etude has a notated passage and an optional improvisation passage; Wyoming Jazz Educators recommends attempting the improvisation in the recording. The deadline is November 20 at 11:59 p.m. Because a player needs both clean reading and a confident feel for the style, a weekly lesson plan should leave three to six months for an event piece, with time to refine the recorded takes as the deadline approaches.

What else is there to enter?

The Wyoming Music Teachers Association's Wyoming MTNA competition in Laramie, usually held in early November, suits students looking for a competition beyond All-State Jazz. For guitarists who prefer a less formal setting, Buffalo's weekly bluegrass, Western, and folk jam welcomes visiting musicians to sit in, so students can experience playing with others without entering a contest.

Homeschool and private school students

Wyoming homeschool students can apply for All-State Honor Groups if they attend a WHSAA member school; applications go through the school music teacher, and students must be enrolled both when they apply and when the event takes place. The state honor groups are Honor Band, Orchestra, and Choir, while guitarists have a separate All-State Jazz audition route when they meet its eligibility conditions. A private-school student should confirm WHSAA membership and the application route with the school's music teacher before preparing.

Starting at any age

Starting a child on guitar

Guitar suits many children once they can hold the instrument comfortably and manage short, focused practice; there is no single required starting age. Wyoming's school standards set music expectations by grade band, but local boards and district staff decide how instruction is delivered, so a guitar-specific school starting point is not consistent across the state. Private lessons give your child a way to build chord changes, steady rhythm, and basic reading before playing with others, then keep those skills moving alongside school music.

A teen in Wyoming

For a teen guitarist in Wyoming, the clearest state honor route is All-State Jazz, not a general guitar honor group. Students in grades 9–12 apply through their school music teacher, and instrumental jazz auditions are recorded; a student needs a school jazz ensemble or an equivalent if one is unavailable. Weekly lessons can give a teen a steady place to develop jazz vocabulary and prepare music around school commitments, while district Music Performance Assessments offer another setting for individual or ensemble evaluation.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults can begin guitar at any age, and Wyoming offers informal ways to share music even without a guitar-specific adult ensemble. In Buffalo, visiting musicians are welcome to sit in at the weekly bluegrass, Western, and folk jam at the Historic Occidental Saloon. If you are new to playing with others, lessons can help you build the repertoire and confidence to join a jam when you are ready. Our weekly one-on-one lessons begin with your experience and the music you want to play, whether you are starting fresh or returning after time away.

Finding the right teacher

What should a good guitar teacher do?

A strong guitar teacher gives a student more than correct notes: they listen for relaxed technique, a steady pulse, and the ability to make a chord change cleanly, then choose music that fits the student's age and goals. In Wyoming, a teen aiming at All-State Jazz needs a teacher who can guide both written etudes and improvisation, while a new child or returning adult benefits from a pace that feels manageable. Lesson With You teachers hold at least a bachelor's degree in guitar. You can choose a teacher yourself or ask us to recommend one who fits your goals and personality.

How do live online guitar lessons work?

In a live Zoom guitar lesson, your teacher can hear your timing, tone, and chord changes in real time and see both hands well enough to give specific feedback. Set the camera so the guitar neck and picking hand are visible, and keep the instrument and music stand within reach; the lesson is one-on-one each week with the same dedicated teacher. Online means no commute and access to a teacher who fits, rather than only whoever is closest. A student in Cheyenne and a student in Sheridan get the same choice of teacher and the same lesson, making a regular weekly rhythm easier to keep.

What $35 a week gets you at Lesson With You

A teacher with a degree in guitarEvery Lesson With You guitar teacher holds at least a bachelor's degree in guitar.

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Guitar in Wyoming

Where to hear guitar

Guitar appears in Wyoming's live music through informal roots music as well as formal concerts. In Buffalo, local musicians host a bluegrass, Western, and folk jam every Thursday at about 7 p.m. at the Historic Occidental Saloon, and visitors are welcome to sit in. In Laramie, the University of Wyoming International Chamber Music Festival brings musicians from around the world for free concerts in the city and surrounding region. These give you and your child two very different ways to hear how guitar can sit inside an ensemble.

Where to play with others

Wyoming guitarists have informal settings for playing with others, alongside a limited number of mixed community groups. In Laramie, the Gryphon Theatre holds an open jam on December 9, 2026, where musicians are invited to bring an instrument and play onstage. Jackson Hole Community Band in Jackson includes classical guitar players, and welcomes experienced musicians who can read music. These routes suit different levels of readiness: the open jam offers a chance to try playing with others, while the band is a more structured option for an experienced reader.

Guitar around Wyoming, area by area

Cheyenne area

In Cheyenne, Cheyenne Harmony offers a community music setting, with reduced dues for students and multi-member families. For live music, the Cheyenne City Band gives free concerts at William N. Brimmer Amphitheater in Lion’s Park on the first and third Tuesdays from June through August. Fridays on the Plaza is another free, all-ages summer series at Depot Plaza downtown, so families can hear local music together outdoors.

Laramie area

Laramie offers free student recitals through the University of Wyoming Department of Music, giving a guitar student a chance to hear live performance in a concert setting. The Laramie Municipal Band plays weekly Wednesday evening concerts at the Washington Park bandshell each summer. Together, these are accessible ways for you or your child to hear ensemble playing and develop an ear for how individual parts fit into a group.

A little guitar history in Wyoming

Guitar has a distinct place in Wyoming's folk and contest traditions. In Kemmerer, the Oyster Ridge Music Festival began as a home for the Wyoming State Flatpick Guitar Championship, whose winner represented Wyoming at the national championship in Winfield, Kansas. Wyoming-raised guitarist Jalan Crossland has earned national recognition in fingerstyle and won the state's Flatpick Championship, while Austin Weyand has won the State of Wyoming Fingerstyle Guitar Competition three times and performed classical guitar concertos with orchestras. For a student, these examples show that guitar here reaches from traditional picking to concert performance, with serious paths beyond simply learning songs.