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There are some fun things you can do to enhance your guitar lessons in Santa Cruz. Attending large venue concerts with world-famous artists, frequenting restaurants, coffee shops and bars with local live music, and even attending student concerts and other educational events are all exciting ways to spend the day while also improving your guitar skills. Here are some great places around Santa Cruz to check out:

1. The Art Bar and Cafe The Art Bar and Cafe provides an artsy and family-friendly atmosphere for art, food, drinks, coffee and live music. They even provide free Wi-Fi! Check their website for a list of upcoming artists. Customers describe the list of performers as "eclectic," so you'll have lots of different types of music to choose from. (http://scartbar.com/)

2. Kuumbwa Jazz Center If the focus of your guitar lessons in Santa Cruz is jazz, then you'll need to check out the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Their doors opened 40 years ago, and they have a great reputation for bringing fantastically creative and engaging acts to Santa Cruz. In addition to frequent concerts, Kuumbwa also provides the public with FREE master classes. Check their website for details about master classes, performances, and to book tickets. (http://kuumbwajazz.org/)

3. The Crow's Nest Restaurant Located on a picturesque cliff, this restaurant provides great food, drinks and live entertainment with the backdrop of the ocean. The Crow's Nest website has a monthly calendar of events, and the musicians they host include reggae, rock, progressive funk, soul and more. So no matter what genre you're into, or even if you're still deciding, The Crow's Nest has something for you. (http://www.crowsnest-santacruz.com/live-entertainment/)

4. Moe's Alley Moe's Alley is known for hosting both local and world-renowned musical acts. The atmosphere of this bar is described as pleasant and "laid back," and many customers love the small and intimate setting as well as the fantastic acoustics. There's also a dance floor and Vivas Organic Mexican Food served on the patio during all shows. (http://www.moesalley.com/)

5. Santa Cruz Blues Festival The Santa Cruz Blues Festival has been happening every Memorial Day Weekend for the past 23 years at Aptos Village Park. The festival is family friendly, and it's located in a beautiful Redwood amphitheater, known for it's premiere sound. The festival prides itself on bringing well-known blues traditionalists as well as modern artists. Musicians who have graced the stage in the past include Tommy Castro, Jonny Lang, Joan Osborne and Trombone Shorty, just to name a few. (http://www.santacruzbluesfestival.com/info.php)

6. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Attending the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is another great way to enhance your guitar lessons in Santa Cruz. This festival brings fantastic musicians from all around the world to perform in Santa Cruz in August. Expand your musical education by exposing yourself to a wide variety of contemporary music performers. There are also events designed to educate you about contemporary music and even open rehearsals to attend! (http://cabrillomusic.org/)

7. UC Santa Cruz You don't need to be an enrolled student to take advantage of some of the events the UCSC music department offers. Between the Classical Guitar Ensemble, Small and Large Jazz Ensembles, the Latin Ensemble and individual student recitals, there are frequent on-campus concerts that are open to the public. (http://music.ucsc.edu/)