LOCAL STORIESAUGUST 19, 2021
Hidden Gems: Meet Adam Frost of Highland Park Guitar Lessons
Link to interview here
Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Frost.
Adam, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? I guess it first started in 1992. I was five, my older brother was entering his early teens and exposed me to all the amazing music that was exploding at the time. My earliest memories of falling in love with music was when I was exposed to Nirvana at the time and feel fortunate to have been able to be alive during that time and able to experience it. I didn’t start playing till I was 15. This was because my parents believed I lacked the focus to do music. I struggled heavily in school in my early years from having ADHD and OCD, so my parents stuck me in fencing and martial arts for a number of years. My friend James brought my focus back to music and I drove my parents crazy to let me play guitar.
I was not a natural talent but, I was extremely tenacious and obsessed with it. I first started practicing once I got home from school till I went to bed and then eventually, I would wake up very early to practice more. I fell in love with the feeling I got from self-investment and how rewarding work ethic can be from it. The years that followed involved playing in numerous bands and getting to tour. While doing so, I found myself teaching guitarists from the bands we toured with and played with, and this showed me a new passion I hadn’t discovered yet.
I decided to start teaching professionally when my friend Johnny Bell, who was a professional drummer and teacher, helped me get started. I quickly learned just how differently we all learn and that it was vital in recognizing methods that work for each student’s needs. It truly is satisfying when you see the light blub spark on and it finally starts to click for a student. I found myself wanting to show how important it is to invest in oneself to the young kids I taught and to remind the adults that they can still push themselves further.
My teaching day usually begins at 9 am and ends at 7 pm. The pandemic did bless me with the ability to take my business online, and now I have students contact all over the U.S. seeking specialized instruction to help them overcome obstacles in everything from technique and speed to music theory and improvisation.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road? Starting a business is a challenge enough for most, but trying to make a private teaching business successful, especially in an age where there is a sea of online resources that are free is not easy. Students come to me because they need an extremely detailed eye and the proper feedback to solve and overcome the obstacles they are facing. To keep this business going takes being very hungry. There’s not a lot of time available to just coast. There are many days my hands hurt, and I am beyond exhausted. Though my health is not the best, I am extremely lucky to have students that energize me and that I know I provide a positive impact in their lives.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do? Highland Park Guitar Lessons began in 2011 as part of Top Shelf Drum Lessons in Dallas, Texas. I (Adam) began teaching guitar to referrals from Top Shelf and expanded to most of the DFW area. In 2012, Highland Park Guitar Lessons went independent and since has made its primary focus providing its students the best tools possible to achieve their goals. Highland Park Guitar Lessons provides professional guitar instruction to the Dallas metro area and across the U.S. via remote learning.
Contact Info:
Email: highlandparkguitarlessons@gmail.com
Website: https://www.highlandparkguitarlessonsdfw.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highland_park_guitar_lessons/?hl=en