Thinking About Starting a Guitar Program? - Jayson Martinez

Jayson Martinez, M. Mus; M. EdLd NAfME/NJMEA Guitar Education Chair jmarti37@webmail.essex.edu

As the guitar gains popularity in school settings, we tend to see more music teachers taking on the exciting task of offering a guitar class. Utilizing guitars in the classroom provides a powerful means for teaching music to young students. Not only does starting a guitar program improve engagement in the classroom, it is a great way to develop a transcendental music program. This article highlights several insights, resources, and tips from various guitar instructors around the country on how to start a successful guitar class in any school. A special thanks is extended to the NAfME Guitar Council for sharing there wisdom and knowledge. In sum, by following the recommendations and further investigating the upcoming sites and resources, your guitar program will flourish and become an essential asset in your school’s educational plan.

Overcoming the Financial Challenge

One aspect of the guitar is the sheer versatility of the instrument. Students can use guitars to play both melodies and harmonies. However, the most significant challenge of starting a guitar program is financial. Depending on the school’s budget, guitars can be quite expensive. Further, in an ideal guitar program, each student will play his or her own instrument. Beyond purchasing guitars, there will also be additional costs for storage and accessories. Yet, there are a number of ways in which teachers can ease this financial burden. These include music fundraising events, community and business partnerships, music education grants, and fundraising websites. Regardless of the hefty price tag for starting a program, the educational and experiential benefits for children are well worth it. For further information, research the suggestions presented in the Guitar Foundations of America site guitarfoundation.org. Best Practices for Elementary Students

Regarding teaching young students in a class setting, students can use either a 1/2 size nylon-string guitars, ukulele, or guitarele. These instruments are typically the best size for children and the nylon strings are not as painful on little fingers as steel strings. A very basic reason to use nylon strings is that it is less strenuous on beginners’ fingers. Also, it is easier for the classroom teacher to see the students’ fingers in order to make corrections when they are learning chords and notes. For further information, it is suggested to look into the guitarsintheclassroom.org site, for starters.

Classroom Setup, Procedures, and Storage

The way in which a classroom is arranged is of vital importance for delivering the most effective instruction. Students should be able to easily access any necessary materials, sit comfortably, and view any instructional materials along with the instructor. For instance, some guitar colleagues prefer to arrange student chairs into three rows. Chairs in the same row are spaced by about four feet to allow room for students to feel comfortable moving around without banging into a neighboring guitar. Further, teachers can use the three rows for establishing effective procedures for guitar instru tion.

Important procedures to consider include general care and safety for guitars, getting and putting away guitars, and what students do if they need to set guitars down for a moment. Other possible procedures to consider may be how students will perform for the class and how they can work with a partner or in small groups. Every music classroom is different, but one thing is certain: guitars will occupy a lot of space. There are many methods of storing guitars so be sure to peruse all available options before committing to a storage method. These storage methods include wall hangers, traditional guitar stands, multi-guitar stands, custom-built guitar

stands, and keeping guitars in cases or gig bags. For more information pertaining to classroom setup and storage ideas, visit guitarstorage.com and guitarcurriculum.com

Curriculum

Speaking of guitar curriculum, all of the information in this article is inconsequential if the teachers and students involved do not have an outstanding curriculum. One of the top available curriculum for teaching guitar to students is Sound Innovations for Class Guitar. The method includes both teacher and student editions. Further, Sound Innovations for Class Guitar contains a developmentally appropriate sequence of lessons that are arranged into four units of study. Each lesson includes precise procedures, assessments, and lesson extensions all while addressing the Core Music Standards. The method also comes with additional teaching resources such as instructional tips, unit assessments, and audio/video examples that will greatly aid any music teacher, but especially teachers who are not terribly confident in their own guitar ability.

Another valuable curriculum is established by Alan Hirsh and the Austin Classical Guitar. In 2004, after three years working in public schools, Austin Classical Guitar recognized the need for an improved system for schoolbased guitar education comparable to established programs in choir, orchestra and band. Launched online in October 2008, Austin Guitar Curriculum is now used internationally by hundreds of teachers serving tens of thousands of students. A comprehensive teacher resource that includes a searchable library of original, pedagogically-sequenced ensemble literature, sight reading, and audio and video tutorials and aids, the Austin Guitar Curriculum espouses a powerful core educational philosophy of “expressive, beautiful music-making from the very first day.”

It is worth noting that the Austin Classical Guitar Society’s educational outreach program has carried out studies that prove that guitar programs encourage more students to participate in the arts. Furthermore, their studies show that the students who take guitar classes are not the same ones enrolled in band, choir, and orchestra, but instead the guitar classes make music available and attractive to a completely new population of students.

Text Suggestions

For the novice students, many fellow teachers recommend H.O.T. Hands-On–Training First Year Guitar by Nancy Lee Marsters, published by Class Guitar Resources. The text includes a very well organized teacher guide and rubrics for assessment. Also recommended is the Essential Elements for Guitar Book 1, by Will Schmid and Bob Morris, Hal Leonard Publications. Essential Elements has an easy to follow note reading unit with songs students enjoy.

Two great texts for the progressing guitar students are Enjoy Playing the Guitar, Books 1 and 2 by Debbie Cracknell, Oxford University Press and Second Year Guitar H.O.T. (Hands-On -Training) by Leo Welch and Nancy Lee Marsters, published by Class Guitar Resources.

Some guitar ensemble resources include: Guitar Ensembles, Intermediate Level by Nancy Marsters, Leo Welch, and Romana Hartmetz published by Class Guitar Resources. Playing Guitars Together by Debbie Cracknell published by Oxford University Press, Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Vol. 1 published by Hal Leonard, Music for 3 or 4 Guitars ed. Paul Gerrits, published by Les Editions Doberman-Yppan, Fredrick Noad Guitar Anthology: The Renaissance Guitar and The Classical Guitar published by Hal Leonard, Sight Reading for the Classical Guitar, Level I-III by Robert Benedict, Alfred Music Publishing. Furthermore, a plethora of guitar ensemble repertoire may be accessed at guitarcurriculum.com

Why Teach Classical?

By the time the students learn the fundamentals of guitar at the elementary and middle school levels, the students should immerse themselves further in classical guitar studies. There are many reasons to teach classical guitar technique to high school students. First, a four-year program that culminates in two years of a classical guitar ensemble enables the maximum number of students to participate. Additionally, a classical guitar program gives students proper technique and a foundation on which they can build. Those wishing to play rock, blues, or metal will have strong skills that transfer to those genres. Classically trained musicians develop discipline and mastery of technique with the potential of building complex virtuosity.

Teaching Guitar Workshop

For teachers starting a guitar program, and for those who wish to extend a current program, guitar teachers recommend the national Teaching Guitar Workshops (TGW). The success of several guitar programs across the country is credited in part to participation in these workshops, which are offered and sponsored by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association

(GAMA), and the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). Teaching Guitar Workshops offer training each year at locations across the country to music educators interested in beginning or expanding school guitar programs.

Since its inception in 1995, over 3000 music educators have participated in the workshops. GAMA has reported that over 1.28 million students have learned guitar in school because of TGW. Their objective is to help music teachers start or enhance classroom guitar programs. The workshops are extremely informative and provide an abundance of resources for beginning guitar teachers.

Little Kids Rock

Little Kids Rock transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools. Their network of thousands of K-12 teachers across 45 states leads a national movement that brings innovative and inclusive music education to students. Using genres including rock, pop, Latin, and rap, the program empowers teachers to build music programs as diverse as the kids they serve. The students see themselves reflected in their classes, which strengthens their connection to their school, their peers, and their community. Little Kids Rock also donates necessary instruments, and curriculum, meeting a key need of many school music programs. More than 500,000 kids currently participate in Little Kids Rock programs nationwide. Since 2002, the organization has reached more than 1,000,000 students with highly-inclusive and culturally relevant music education. Since the Covid-19 pandemic is keeping us isolated for the foreseeable future, the importance of physical space is diminished when it comes to guitar lessons. Luckily, there are many online guitar lesson resources and structured teaching models that can serve as a useful tool for teachers and students. The following compiled list of sites are recommended by many guitar teachers.

1. Fender Play 2. Artistworks Guitar 3. TrueFire Guitar 4. JustinGuitar 5. JamPlay 6. Orange Learn 7. Jamorama 8. JamTrack Central 9. Guitar Tricks 10. Yousician

This article highlights but a fraction of resources that are available for creating and establishing a successful guitar program. With support from your administrators and key stakeholders, you’ll be on your way to launching your own guitar program in no time.

Virtual Learning Resources for Music Educators

NAfME Societies and Councils have compiled distance learning and professional development resources from their own original teaching experiences, music educators in their school districts, universities, communities, peers, or other trusted sources. Available to NAfME members at no cost to help you keep teaching, learning, and making music through coronavirus disruptions. TEMPO 40Learn more at bit.ly/VirtualTeachingLearningMusicEd or visit nafme.org.