Message from the Chair
WELCOME, and thank you for exploring the Teaching Guitar Workshops website. This special site provides guitar education resources and a gateway for you to participate in one of our extraordinary summer Teaching Guitar Workshops.
Since 1995, a unique partnership involving GAMA, NAMM, NAfME (formerly MENC) and Duquesne University was developed to present outstanding workshops for teaching classroom guitar in the US and Canada. The music industry’s strong commitment to Teaching Guitar Workshops is evident through its support of participants with scholarships for three graduate credits from Duquesne University, a quality new guitar, a plethora of guitar and music accessories, and classroom guitar methods from leading music publishers.
Today’s challenges to arts education, especially in the area of music, make classroom guitar instruction a special skill set that can help the music educator reach a student population outside of band, orchestra or choir. Our workshops are instructionally designed to provide a wide variety of strategies, insights and ideas for music teachers at all levels and disciplines. Specialized teams of nationally recognized classroom guitar instructors (the Guitar Education Team — GET) guide workshop participants through a step-by-step process of teaching guitar in the classroom.
The guitar’s adaptability provides unique opportunities to begin or develop areas of the National Standards in Music Education for your music classroom (improvisation, arranging and composition). Another special allure of the guitar is that it can give a lifetime of music participation to many of your students who often find classroom guitar one of their most fulfilling arts experience.
I wish to invite you to join us this summer for one of our Teaching Guitar workshops whether at Level I (teaching classroom guitar from the beginning) or Level II (reviewing and building classroom guitar teaching skills). This is an exceptional opportunity to participate in a highly productive guitar workshop with the Guitar Education Team. It is an honor to be a member of the Guitar Education Team and both humbling and exciting to begin my third term as chair of this outstanding organization. Whether you wish to start or expand your classroom guitar program and are an active NAfME (MENC) member, we welcome you to take advantage of this special educational opportunity.
Sincerely,
Bill Purse
Chair, Teaching Guitar Workshops
Mission Statement
The guitar is an ideal vehicle for lifelong active music making. It is a highly motivational instrument that can help school music programs reach many of the students not now involved in music classes.
The Teaching Guitar Workshops are designed to help teachers establish and expand school guitar programs. The staff is dedicated to teaching guitar in the classroom using a broad, multi-style approach that includes diverse techniques and methods.
Message from the Industry
The guitar segment of the Music industry is committed to the future, working together to provide scholarships, free instruments and classroom materials to in-service NAfME music educators nationwide. This partnership between industry and education is creating stronger music programs for all students at all levels.
"The GAMA/NAMM/NAfME Guitar Education Team is ... enriching the lives of teachers and students by providing a quality guitar experience in the classroom."
David Bergstom
Past President, GAMA
