Derek Hasted - founder (and leader for 35 years) writes...
I founded Workshop in 1988 and it's become one of the area's largest guitar ensembles for novice & intermediate adult players.
Building on Workshop's success, I founded the Hampshire Guitar Orchestra (hago) in 1999 to provide a similar opportunity for advanced players.
I've written the Workshop Collection (170 easy ensembles and 57 Christmas pieces) to give guitarists the same mix of music, fun and company that other musicians take for granted.
I've been playing guitar since I was 12, and I've taught in the Havant area since 1977, accumulating many years' experience of coaching beginners and leading ensembles.
As well as Classical Guitar, I play other fretted instruments, brass & piano.
Many of my players have taken exams in Guitar - I have a 100% pass rate - and hago has won competitions locally and nationally. My compositions and arrangements have featured on radio in this country and overseas, and my accessible ensemble music sells round the world. Some have been played at the West Dean Guitar Festival on more than one occasion.
Associated Board commissioned me to write guitar ensembles for their Music Medals scheme, and the European Guitar Teachers' Association commissioned me to write for their Solo Now! series.
My videos
See and hear accessible solos on YouTube, including
-
West Coast
composed by Helen Sanderson
-
Birds Flew Over The Spire
composed by Gary Ryan
-
Homeward Bound
composed by John Anderson
- More on the Derek Hasted YouTube channel