Teaching Beginning Guitar Class: A Practical Guide

Contents

• Contents
• Chapter One: Getting Started
• I Do Not Play Guitar, Why Do I Have to Teach Guitar?
• Reasons Why Music Educators May Like Teaching Guitar
• Band Students Will Leave the Band to Join a Guitar Class, or Will They?
• Guitar Content for the First Quarter
• What Kind of Equipment is Needed for Guitar Class?
• Trimming the List
• No Left-Handed Guitars
• A Closer Look at Quarter One Class Content
• Playing with a Pick
• Playing with the Thumb
• Playing with Alternating Fingers
• How to Place Fingers on the Fingerboard to Change Pitches
• Chapter Two: Being Prepared Prior to the Start of the School Year
• Making a List
• Selecting a Method Book
• How to Evaluate the Selected Method
• Programmed Texts and Sequences
• It's Time to Do the Math
• Learn to Model the Content of the Method Book
• Learn to Model Technique for Both Left & Right Hands
• Learn to Model Posture
• Learn to Make a Sound with a Pick, the Thumb and Alternate Fingers
• Learn to Change a String
• Learn to Tune a Guitar
• Have Lesson Plans for the First Quarter
• Have Handouts Ready for Printing
• Know Exactly What Will Be Covered in the First Week of School
• Why Give Pre-tests?
• Know Exactly What Will Be Covered in the Second Week of School
• Have a Curriculum Map for the Entire School Year
• Prepare a Class Handbook and Have it Printed and Ready to Distribute
• Check All Equipment is in Place and in Working Order
• Have Chairs and Stands in Place to Match Seating Chart
• Chapter Three: Organizational Ideas
• Retention
• Public School Structure
• Structuring a Guitar Program for Longevity
• The Middle School Model: The Three-Year Plan
• Semester Versus Yearlong Classes
• The Year-Long Model
• The Semester-Long Model
• Explorations
• High School Models
• Ideal High School Schedule
• Block Schedule
• Backwards Assessment
• Backwards Assessment Model: Level 1 Beginning Guitar
• Beginning Guitar - List View - All Objectives
• Assessments
• Consider the Assessment Model
• Consider Using Music Prodigy
• Daily Routines
• Chapter Four: A Potpourri of Practical Ideas and Simple Thoughts
• Slow Down!
• Engage Your Students Before the Teaching Begins
• Are Your Students Listening?
• One Ounce of Technique
• Beginners Are Not Ready to Tune a Guitar
• Get Your Drums On
• Learn Their Names!
• The Shorter, the Better!
• Collaborative Learning
• Dreaming to be a Rock Star
• Not All Guitar Students are Rockers
• Practice Makes Permanent
• New Students in January?
• Make Friends with the Custodians and Counselors
• Just Heard a Classical Guitar CD and Want to Learn to Play Guitar
• Incorporate Ensemble Playing Early On
• What is the Classroom Lifespan of a Guitar?
• Ten Professional Suggestions
• Ten Quick Things to Make a Guitar Class Most Successful
• Advice for Teaching Beginning Guitar: Ten Things to Make Life Easier
• Chapter Five: Lesson Plans, Curriculum, Objectives and Standards
• Why Lesson Plans?
• What is Curriculum?
• Where to Find Guitar Curriculum for Each State
• Beginning Guitar Course Scope and Goals
• Beginning Guitar Course Structure
• Standards
• National Standards for Music Education
• Chapter Six: Philosophy of Classroom Guitar Teaching
• Learn to Play Guitar
• Do Not Have Time to Learn to Play the Guitar
• Observations and Experience
• How Does a Guitar Class Look?
• Ten Contributors to Determine How a Guitar Class May Appear
• Variations of How a Guitar Class May Look
• What Brings on Change?
• Learning Guitar is Fun!
• Teaching Guitar as a Harmonized Instrument
• College Ready?
• Chapter Seven: Applying the 80/20 Rule
• What is the 80/20 Rule?
• What Does the 80/20 Rule Have to Do with Teaching Guitar?
• The Conventional Path
• What to Teach and When to Teach It?
• 24 Hours a Day
• Organizing the List
• Applying the 80/20 Rule to Self-Learning
• Chapter Eight: Quarter One: The Timeline
• The Schoolyear is About to Start
• Week One
• Why Give Pre-Tests?
• Eight Objectives for Beginning Guitar for Month One
• Backwards Assessment Model
• Parts of the Guitar Pre-test
• Calendar and Timing
• Guitar Body Parts-Answers
• Answers to History of the Guitar Pre-test
• History of Guitar Pre-test
• Week Two
• Week Three
• Week Four
• Week Five
• Week Six
• Common Mistake Beginniners Make in This Stage
• Objectives for Month Two
• Seven Objectives for Beginning Guitar for Month Two
• Week Seven
• Week Eight
• Week Nine
• Chapter Nine: Quarter Two: The Timeline
• Quarter Two Begins: Week Ten or Quarter 2, Week 1
• Week Eleven: Quarter 2, Week 2
• The Right Hand
• Songs Using the Fourth String
• Week Twelve: No Teaching November or Quarter 2, Week 3
• Combining the Fourth String with Strings One, Two, and Three
• Ensemble Music
• Week Thirteen: Quarter 2, Week 4
• Eighth Notes
• Week Fourteen: Quarter 2, Week 5
• Picks
• Week Fifteen: Quarter 2, Week 6
• Protruding Thumbs
• Week Sixteen: Quarter 2, Week 7
• Ensemble Playing
• Sixth String
• Holiday Music
• Week Seventeen: Quarter 2, Week 8
• Prepare for Mid-Term Exams
• Week Eighteen: Quarter 2, Week 9
• Last Week Before Mid-Term
• Halfway
• Chapter Ten: Quarter Three: The Timeline
• Quarter Three Begins: Week Nineteen or Quarter 3, Week 1
• Combo Series
• Week Twenty: Quarter 3, Week 2
• Duets
• Week Twenty-One: Quarter 3, Week 3
• Week Twenty-Two: Quarter 3, Week 4
• Playing in 3/8 and 6/8 Time
• Week Twenty-Three: Quarter 3, Week 5
• Dotted Quarter/Eighth Note Rhythm
• Week Twenty-Four: Quarter 3, Week 6
• Chords
• Eighth Notes with Alternating Picking
• Duple and Triple Meters
• Week Twenty-Five: Quarter 3, Week 7
• Scales
• Blues Form
• Eighth Notes with Alternating Picking
• Week Twenty-Six: Quarter 3, Week 8
• ABA Song Form
• Additional Materials
• Week Twenty-Seven: Quarter 3, Week 9
• Basic Strumming Patterns
• Accidentals
• End of Quarter Three
• Chapter Eleven: Quarter Four: The Timeline
• Quarter Four Begins: Week Twenty-Eight of Quarter 4, Week 1
• Last Week of Month Seven
• Canon
• Key of G
• Week Twenty-Nine: Quarter 4, Week 2
• P-I-M-A
• Week Thirty: Quarter 4, Week 3
• Exploring the Guitar Neck
• Moveable Major Scales
• Week Thirty-One: Quarter 4, Week 4
• Tuplets
• Power Chords
• Daily Warm-up
• Week Thirty-Two: Quarter 4, Week 5
• Position Playing
• Second Position
• First or Open Position
• Fifth Position
• Supplementary Materials
• Week Thirty-Three: Quarter 4, Week 6
• The History of the Guitar
• Tuning
• Improvisation
• Two Octave Scales: The First Step
• P-I-M-A
• Week Thirty-Four: Quarter 4, Week 7
• Final Exams
• Two Octave Scales
• Moveable Barre Chords
• Participate in a Performance
• Supplementary Materials
• Week Thirty-Five: Quarter 4, Week 8
• Relationship between Music and Other Disciplines
• Musical Terms
• Week Thirty-Six: Quarter 4, Week 9
• Last Week of School
• The Wrap Up
• Chapter Twelve
• Dailey Procedures
• Taking Attendance
• Tuning
• Stretching
• Warm-ups
• Single Notes
• Chords
• Ensemble
• Finger-Style
• What Did We Do Today?
• Course Scope for the Beginning Guitar Class
• Curriculum Map
• It's Summertime!