News
about our workshop participants and teaching
resources, and Links
Teaching Guitar Workshops
and Little Kids Rock
collaborate in D. C. this summer.
If you teach in a school where 50% or more of the students
are on free or reduced lunch you can qualify for the Little
Kids Rock program. This is a free two-day workshop that gives
class sets of guitars to the teachers who attend. This summer
Little Kids Rock will be in Washington D.C. on Saturday and
Sunday immediately following
the
Teaching Guitar Workshop.
Go to www.LittleKidsRock.org to see when a workshop will
be held in your area or get an application for the D.C. workshop.
View a flyer for the LKR D.C. workshop
From Deb Sutherland, Fernley, NV attended in 2005
During my week in Las Vegas last summer, taking "Teaching
Guitar I", a choice for one of our class assignments
was to write a grant. In the evenings after class, I wrote
a grant to submit to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation for
more guitars and equipment. One of the instructors at Guitar
I, Bill Purse, thoughtfully helped me with suggestions and
answered some questions I had regarding writing such a grant.
In the fall when school started, my two after school guitar
groups also started up again. I teach music at Fernley Elementary
School and teach guitar and keyboard to 950 students a week
, the whole school year, grades K-5. I submitted this grant
on behalf of the "Acoustic Wolves" my performing
guitar group. I received a letter from MHOF explaining that
grants were on hold at that time so they could focus on helping
the Katrina victims school music programs get back on their
feet. I thought that was great! I e-mailed them and asked
if the Acoustic Wolves could help out by dedicating their
Christmas concert to their cause. We did, and they raised
$88.00 which we sent to MHOF.
Two weeks ago, I received a letter from Mr. Holland's Opus
Foundation that we had received the grant for everything
we asked for! We were so excited! The Acoustic Wolves will
be getting 10 3/4 size classical guitars, 2 electric guitars
and 4 practice amps, and a bass guitar, (I learned how to
play bass at the Teaching Guitar I class ). This will allow
for some of the smaller students to have a proper fitting
guitar as most of ours our big guitars. My youngest lead
guitarist, who plays on the electric guitar is in first grade!
The Acoustic Wolves also performed a Christmas Concert for
a "severe and profound special education" school
in Reno in Dec. where they traveled by bus in the snow to
do so. It was a lovely day and a great experience for the
Acoustic Wolves and for the children we performed for.
Thanks to all of you who keep music alive in our schools
and communities!
Deb Sutherland, M.S.
Music Teacher, Fernley Elementary School
Fernley, NV
This is the group performing at the school in Reno at Christmas.
Articles
and Teaching Materials
 •Guitar:
A Course For All Reasons, by Will Schmid |
GUITAR
AND LESSONS AT
TEACHER SUMMER WORKSHOP WILL BENEFIT
WASHINGTON-CARVER MUSIC STUDENTS
Muncie - Washington-Carver Music Teacher Christina Bragg
has learned that she is a recipient of a $1,800 scholarship
package provided by the Guitar and Accessories Marketing
Association/National Association of Music Merchants and the
Music Educators National Conference that will provide her
the funds to attend the 2006 Teaching Guitar Workshop at
St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, OH, July 10-14, 2006. As
part of the five-day workshop, she will receive a free guitar,
guitar accessories, and new teaching materials for her music
classroom.
Last fall, Ms. Bragg was a recipient of a $2,500 Jordan Fundamentals
Grant making the purchase of 20 student-size acoustic guitars,
a bass guitar and amplifier, a basic electric guitar with
bag, and 20 foot rests possible for a fifth-grade music unit
and after-school guitar lessons for interested students who
might not otherwise be able to learn to play the guitar.
That self-initiated grant, "Ten Fingers, Six Strings," was
designed to allow students to acquire beginning guitar playing
and accompanying skills as well as enhanced music reading
and listening skills. The summer workshop grant will allow
Ms. Bragg the opportunity to offer additional after-school
guitar lessons as well as continued classroom instruction
for her fifth-grade students to learn the popular stringed
instrument.
Thomas
R. Feller, Jr. attended our workshop in 2004.
I teacher a CM Eppes
Middle School in Greenville, North Carolina. Last summer
I attended the workshop in Atlanta with Nancy and Suzanne.
In September I found out we had received a $2000 grant
from Target to implement the program, and so with some
fundraising and help from our PTA we started our first
official class in January of 2005. We purchased a total
of 17 Alvarez guitars (12 RD-8 and 5 RF-8), and about 2/3
- 3/4 of the students in the pilot class purchased instruments
for their own use sometime during the semester; school
guitars were available for loan to those students who could
not afford to purchase one on their own. The pilot class
was made up of seventh grade students, with a good mix
of ethnic and economic classes in it.
Throughout the semester I heard many comments from the
students such as,
"This is the only fun class I have all day," "I look forward
to this class every day," or "I love this class!" Never
have I had as much fun teaching as I have this past semester with my
guitar students. I also used the instruments we purchased to do a 3 week
unit in guitar for all my general music students (four classes this year)
as well as occasional non-singing days in my chorus.
We had three opportunities to perform during the semester for an audience.
I started by having the students play in-class recitals to get them used
to being in front of people. Then we "graduated" to playing in front of their
teachers during a special period for them to show off. We also took one class
period toward the end of the year and went to play for one of the special education
classes at our school. We did a sing-along with the kids and sang songs such
as "Lean on Me" and "You Are My Sunshine"; I'm not sure who
enjoyed it more, us or them! Finally, we ended the year with a 30 minute recital
for parents and friends. I transformed my mobil unit into a recital hall and
we packed it full of people for the first ever recital. Students played several
songs in the classical style in groups of two, three, four, and even a solo,
plus one full ensemble piece, and then we did a sing-along with the parents on
about five or six songs (this was the highlight of the evening!) Afterwords there
were drinks and snacks for everyone. Of all the concerts I've ever done with
students, and I've had some good ones, this one was more fun than any of them!
I was also the first time we had people hanging around for a full 30 minutes
after it was over to talk to me and the students about what they had accomplished.
I have put together a web page for my class to use, and I've also posted pictures
from the concert on it. The webpage address is http://homepage.mac.com/mrandmrsmusic/cme/guitar |
