[HANASHIR:14836] Re: guitar class and song leading

[Batiya5723 <Batiya5723...>]

In a message dated 7/10/2003 6:26:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Scott (at) Sloter(dot)net writes: 
> I've been trying to come up with a way to bring more music, preferably
> on the guitar, to the kids.  My thought is to start a guitar class.

You don't mention whether or not YOU play guitar. Even if you are less 
experienced, you can still teach what you know. With permission from my 
Educator, I 
offered a guitar course in the religious high school a couple of years ago. 
The four kids who signed up for the class were complete beginners and three of 
them couldn't read music. I used songs from our teen service that the kids 
already knew, and a great book called Mel Bay's Guitar Chords (which has actual 
photos of a hand forming each chord). We focused on counting, tuning and a 
couple of basic strumming patterns (I am a flatpicker and do not play or teach 
fingerstyle). I also encouraged the kids to sing while playing, to learn what 
it 
felt like to accompany a voice. 

By the end of the semester they could all play through the songs we'd 
studied, and a couple showed interst in continuing independently through the 
summer. 
So far, no future songleaders have emerged from this, but seeds were 
definitely planted; and three years later at least one girl is still playing 
her 
father's old guitar. I may offer the course again this year if there's time in 
the 
schedule.

Good luck.
Beth Hamon -- Portland, OR
www.beth-hamon.com