Guitar Program Spotlight 4, Thomas Amoriello

Thomas Amoriello Fleminton Raritan School District tamoriel@frsd.k12.nj.us

It is my pleasure to interview Jayson Martinez for our October issue of TEMPO. He is a respected guitar educator in New Jersey who teaches guitar at Arts High School in Newark as well as Essex County College He will also conduct the 2019 NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble on May 4th at The College of New Jersey. Enjoy!

Newark’s Arts High School opened its doors to students in September 1931 as the first public high school in the United States, specializing in the visual and performing arts. Although I am recognized as the first official guitar major in Arts High history, the true first guitarist who attended our school was Manuel Barrueco. Back in 1968-69, there was no guitar program, so Maestro Barrueco was forced to major in tuba. Today, the maestro would certainly extol the virtues of our guitar program, as it serves roughly twenty majors in the art of classical guitar.

Growing up, I was inspired to play guitar by several rock guitarists, such as Dave Mustaine and Slash. But it was Jose Luis Serrano, a music teacher serving in the Newark Public Schools, that offered me private lessons. These lessons played a critical role in my development as a guitarist; much like today, the guitar is not offered as an instrumental choice in many public schools. As a student in Arts High School, Lou Melchor taught me the exquisite art of the classical guitar. But it wasn’t until I studied guitar at New Jersey City University under the tutelage of Ana María Rosado that I came full circle as a musician. During these formative collegial years, my passion for every aspect of classical guitar truly blossomed.

The main obstacle I faced was that many incoming freshman had no prior guitar playing experience. This puts our program at a disadvantage, inasmuch as other students instrument major of choice had prior playing knowledge, since they studied the instrument as a group or class in middle school. This is why I opened my own music studio, Tremolo Music Studio, so that students can take private guitar lessons and be prepared to enter Arts High School with a solid playing foundation.

At Arts High School, I teach not only classical guitar playing and pedagogy, but also guitar history and music theory. My goal is to prepare the guitarists with a solid overall foundation in order for them to continue their studies at the collegiate level if they so choose.

Personally, I’m a strong advocate of the Little Kids Rock program. David Wish has established a strong and reputable program designed for the inclusion of guitar studies in the public schools. I would recommend to attend LKR seminars, network with other

guitar teachers for tips and advice. Finally, I would highly recommend guitar teaching apps such as Yousician. Novice students and guitar teachers alike will find this platform very intuitive and easy to understand.

Early this school, your Arts High School welcomed Lily Afshar for a presentation and masterclass, in which one of my seniors played Sor’s Mozart Variations for her. Not only did Afshar love his playing, but she recommended him for a full scholarship to the University of Memphis. As a teacher, this success story motivates me to continue my methodology and strive for student excellence, inasmuch as it may lead them to enter a higher learning institution, hopefully free of charge. Also, my own guitar teacher from NJCU, Dr. Rosado, is accepting another one of my seniors into her program. Their continued accomplishments motivates me to continue to excel at teaching.

My best advice is to study with a private teacher, who possessses a degree in music Secondly, find a teacher with experience in preparing college-bound musicians and who has experience as an outstanding/professional performer. These qualities will certainly assist the student to enter a collegiate setting with much success.

I reach out to all of the middle school music teachers in the area that have guitar programs as well as private guitar teachers in this area and encourage them to send their students to audition at Arts High. A few of my junior and senior students visit nearby schools and do mini performances and promote the benefits of attending our school. I also send some of my most gifted seniors to teach lessons at a handful of Newark Middle Schools in order to improve the student’s skills before auditioning and give the older students a chance to share their knowledge. Lastly, I promote the achievements of my students on social media and in the school newsletter and website.

As music becomes more high-tech, it is apparent that the popularity of “real” instruments is drastically decreasing. Amongst the students who are interested in guitar, the majority prefer rock or jazz to classical style. Therefore, we may need to adjust our approach to teaching the guitar in the classroom to include a wider range of musical styles. There are many music skills that can be addressed teaching students how to play contemporary pop music. The guitar can also be used as an effective tool to teach improvisational skills through knowledge of modes as scales. This improves students’ creativity and boosts their self confidence.

continued on next page

I tend to give my students as many opportunities to perform as possible. It gives them a tangible goal to work towards that forces them to become more regimented with their practicing and polish a piece of music to performance level. Recitals allow students to see those who are more advanced than them and give them motivation to work towards attaining greater musical achievements. It is important for students to learn how to play together in large ensembles, smaller groups and individually. My students get the opportunity to play in large and small groups with multiple different melodic lines occurring simultaneously. This teaches them to follow their part and listen to the other students, and stay on point rhythmically. They also get opportunities to perform solo repertoire several times a year which helps them gain confidence in front of an audience.

I believe that in addition to me increasing my knowledge in the education field it is beneficial for me to stay active as a performer. I perform in the NY Classical Guitar Orchestra. We rehearse weekly and perform several times a year and have recently started recording our first CD. I also perform solo repertoire at cafes and social events. I teach Music History and Jazz Appreciation to College Students as well as private lessons to students of all ages on a wide array of different instruments.

To all guitar students and aficionados: The best music happens when you have a personal connection to it. That same philosophy can extend to the instrument you hold in your hands: if a guitar means something special, you’re bound to do great things with it.

Thomas Amoriello is the chair on the NAfM Council for Guitar Education and also serves as the Guitar Education Chairperson for the NJMEA . He teaches guitar for the Flemington Raritan School District and Hunterdon Academy of the Arts. Tom graduated from Shenandoah Conservatory with a Master of Music Degree in Classical Guitar Performance. He is the author of the children’s picture books; A Journey to Guitarland with Maestro Armadillo & Ukulele Sam Strums in the Sand, both available from Black Rose Writing. He recently had two vinyl record releases on the H42 Records label of Hamburg, Germany featuring former members of Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Loudness, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force and more.