Dan started lessons when he was 12.
For the first year or so, he was showing up but not really buying in to what I was teaching him. Going through the motions. Learning, but not committed.
Then one day, something clicked.
I have no idea what triggered it. Maybe he’d heard the same things enough times. Maybe his brain was finally ready to process it all. But the switch turned on, and suddenly he was all in.
He became a good guitar player. A good singer. A good songwriter.
But here’s what I didn’t see coming: Dan’s real talent wasn’t music at all.
The Kid Who Discovered He's A Natural Entrepreneur
Dan started talking about forming a band. Writing his own songs. He wanted people to hear his music. He wanted to sell his CD.
Most kids at that age dream about this but never figure out how to make it happen. They beg a local club to let their original band play for free. Maybe five of their friends show up. That’s the extent of it.
Dan did something completely different.
He rented venues. Sold tickets. And sold them out.
Not by begging for stage time. Not by hoping people would show up. He actively promoted his shows, created demand, and filled rooms.
I wish I could take credit for teaching him this. But I didn’t. He came up with the promotional ideas entirely on his own. He was driven by one goal: get people to hear his songs and buy his CD.
And he made it happen.
Today, Dan helps run Inkcarceration Festival – one of Ohio’s biggest music festivals, held on the grounds of the old abandoned prison where they filmed The Shawshank Redemption. It’s a three-day tattoo and music festival that’s a huge deal in the metal community.
He’s very successful. And he loves what he does.
Here’s the thing: Dan didn’t come to me to learn business skills. He came to learn guitar.
But guitar gave him the platform to discover his real talent – entrepreneurship, promotion, and making things happen.
The Shy Kid Who Discovered He Could Lead
Derek started with me when he was 7.
Too young, honestly. He struggled for years. Very shy. Mumbled a lot. Didn’t make eye contact consistently. Just went along with the flow of whatever was happening around him.
Then around age 12, his skills really kicked in.
And something else happened too.
Derek started leading bands. Not just playing in them – running them. Making decisions. Organizing rehearsals. Setting direction.
And he came out of his shell enough to sing. The kid who used to mumble and avoid eye contact was standing in front of a microphone leading a group of musicians.
Derek didn’t start guitar lessons to become a leader. He started because he loved music.
But once he developed competency, leadership emerged naturally.
The Pattern I've Seen Over 30 Years
Guitar doesn’t just teach music.
It creates a foundation of competency. And once a kid has that foundation – once they can actually DO something well – they start discovering other abilities they didn’t know they had.
Derek thought he was learning guitar. He discovered he could lead people.
Dan thought he was learning guitar. He discovered he’s a natural businessman and promoter.
Both of them needed the guitar skills as the launching platform. But what emerged went far beyond music.
Why Competency Unlocks Hidden Talents
Here’s what happens when a kid reaches real competency with an instrument:
They have confidence to try things. Once you’ve mastered something difficult, you believe you can master other difficult things. Derek felt confident enough to organize a band and stand up front singing. Dan felt confident enough to rent a venue and sell tickets.
They have a platform to build on. You can’t discover you’re good at leading a band if you can’t play guitar well enough to be in one. You can’t discover you’re good at promoting shows if you don’t have shows to promote.
They experience what initiative looks like. Guitar requires setting goals, practicing systematically, pushing through frustration. Once you’ve done that successfully in one area, you know how to do it in others.
They discover what they’re actually passionate about. Dan loves the business side more than the playing side. He wouldn’t have known that without guitar giving him entry into that world.
Why This Doesn't Happen With YouTube Or Weak Instruction
Online learning doesn’t create real competency.
Kids learning from YouTube might be able to copy a few riffs. But they’re not developing the systematic skill foundation that creates confidence. They’re not experiencing the progression from struggling to mastering. They’re just copying without understanding.
And without real competency, there’s no platform to discover other talents.
The kid who kind of knows how to play a couple YouTube riffs isn’t confident enough to form a band. They’re definitely not confident enough to rent a venue and sell tickets.
Real competency requires real instruction. Systematic skill development. The kind of foundation that makes a kid think “I can actually do this” – and then start trying OTHER things because they believe in their ability to succeed.
What My Approach Actually Develops
When I teach guitar, I’m not just teaching chords and songs.
I’m building a foundation of competency through systematic progression. Layering skills properly. Meeting students at their actual level and building from there.
That foundation creates confidence. And confidence reveals talents kids didn’t know they had.
I’ve seen students discover:
- They can lead groups of people
- They’re natural performers who thrive in front of audiences
- They have business and promotional instincts
- They can teach others (former students have become teachers themselves)
- They’re collaborative problem-solvers who make everyone around them better
None of these kids started lessons thinking “I want to develop leadership skills” or “I want to learn entrepreneurship.”
They started thinking “I want to play guitar.”
But guitar gave them the competency and confidence to discover abilities that extend far beyond music.
The Long Game
Dan doesn’t play guitar professionally now. But guitar opened the door to what he’s actually exceptional at – and he built a successful career from it.
Derek runs his own business with his wife now. He still plays when he has time and loves music. The confidence and leadership skills he developed leading bands? Those transferred directly to entrepreneurship and running a business.
That’s what real competency does. It doesn’t trap you in one narrow skill. It reveals capacities you didn’t know you had and gives you the confidence to pursue them.
Derek discovered he could lead – first a band, then a business. Dan discovered he could promote and organize – first shows, now one of Ohio’s biggest festivals. Both started by just wanting to learn guitar.
Guitar isn’t just about learning music. It’s about creating the platform where your child can discover who they actually are and what they’re capable of.
Your child might discover they’re a natural leader like Derek. Or a born entrepreneur like Dan. Or something else entirely that you can’t predict right now.
But they’ll never discover it if they don’t build the foundation first.
About The Author
Brian Fish is a professional guitarist who has been dedicated to helping other guitar players in Northeast Ohio pursue their musical dreams since 1994. He’s passionate about guiding others on their musical journey! He is the Guitar Playing Transformation Specialist, instructor, mentor, trainer, and coach at
Guitar Lessons Geauga.
Brian has also assisted people from around the globe in developing a solid sense of timing and enhancing their creativity through the fantastic rhythm course, “Ultimate Rhythm Mastery,” available at MusicTheoryForGuitar.com.
If you live in Geauga County / North East Ohio, Guitar Lessons Geauga can help you become the player you’ve always wanted to be.