From the Desk is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the organization through the eyes of the staff members. These articles focus on the staff’s thoughts and motivations, and hopefully provides a chance to get to know the people behind the scenes.
This week’s From the Desk is written by ACG Partner Teacher, Phil Swasey. Phil is currently a classroom Guitar Director at Bedichek Middle School in Austin I.S.D., he is the district content lead for middle school guitar and mariachi, and was named the campus Teacher of the Year in 2016. In the classroom, his focus remains on finding creative and empowering strategies to remove common obstacles in the way of student success.
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Impact in the First Years of Teaching by Phil Swasey
As most teachers can attest to, the first years in the classroom can be an emotional, physical and mentally trying time for young professionals. Working with directors that are experiencing these fresh and raw feelings for the first time has encouraged me to look back at my own experiences during the early stages of my career.
Almost ten years ago, after deciding on a career change and a cross-country move to Austin, I finished my alternative certification with Region XIII and jumped right into the classroom. I was excited to be on my feet, not chained to a desk, and grateful to have a guitar in my hands, collecting an adult paycheck.
Despite my eagerness, my classroom was not the magical learning environment that I had envisioned. It was a chaotic swirl of indecisiveness, unwanted student behaviors, emotional swings and a general doubt about my effectiveness as a teacher. When I looked at my first group of 6th grade beginning guitarists, motivated, wide-eyed and full of potential, I thought that they deserved someone more experienced to guide them through the start of their musical careers.
During my moments of doubt, ACG and Jeremy Osbourne were there to support me and focus my energy on solutions to the problems that I was facing. I’m convinced that this outreach helped me to obtain a level of confidence in my practice, allowing me to serve my students more effectively early on.
The truth likely is, my classroom was never as chaotic as I perceived it to be. Maintaining perspective on your own teaching practice and environment is a constant challenge. Teachers are impactful from their first moments on campus, and having mentors around to encourage growth and recognize strength is an invaluable part of learning the teaching craft.
The 6th graders that I looked at with doubt and hesitancy graduated from high school last year, many having continued on with guitar through their senior year at Crockett High School. Watching them mature as musicians and people over the last 7 years was a continual source of reward and gratification.
Last year, I was talking with Rey, one of the students from that chaotic and mis-managed beginning guitar class. He was preparing his college applications for guitar performance, and in a moment I will never forget, he said, “I wouldn’t be doing this without you.” Rey is now on scholarship at the University of Texas and I couldn’t be more proud of him. This serves as a reminder for me that teachers are impactful every day of their careers, even the first one.
Postcards is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the guitar programs around the nation and strives to bring the guitar teacher community together.
This week’s Postcards is written by Dr. Kevin Vigil, Guitar & Music Theory Director at Heritage High School, Chair of the Virginia Music Educators Association Guitar Council & All-Virginia Guitar Ensemble, and Member-At-Large of the NAfME Council for Guitar Education.
This week, Dr. Vigil focuses on a student in his county, Jack Osborne, excelling in the guitar world!
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Postcard from Loudoun County, VA - By Dr. Kevin Vigil
Meet Jack!
Jack Osborne is a senior at Briar Woods High School (BWHS) in Loudoun County Public Schools. He served as concertmaster for the 2019 NAfME All-National Honors Guitar Ensemble that took place from November 7 – 10. Not only was Jack selected for this honor, but also acted as concertmaster for the 2018 All-Virginia Guitar Ensemble (AVGE) and (again) for the 2019 AVGE; which performed on November 21. Oh yeah… he also won the Beatty Scholarship Competition in Washington, DC! Among the prizes was the opportunity to open up for classical guitar legend, David Russell.
So how did Jack get to this point?
One word - opportunity.
Jack has had the opportunity to learn guitar at BWHS under the direction of Dr. Michael Murphy, from his private instructor, Jamey Mann, and the PAVAN Regional Governor’s School to list a few. Jack has also, and perhaps more importantly, had opportunities to stumble along the way. He told me about a poor outcome from a competition; which damaged his spirit and passion to continue with guitar. However, a friend and fellow competitor, Ryan Robinson, gave him some sound advice, “performing is not about winning or losing, but about reaching your audience.”
Jack has certainly taken his friend’s advice and continues to strive to reach others with his musical performances. He is also planning definitely to continue his studies of the instrument in college as a performance major and potentially double major with computer science.
We’d love to hear about guitar in your part of the world next! Reach out to Jess Griggs anytime with your story and a photo or two.
There’s no better way to describe Ravindra Paudyal than an absolute miracle worker. Internationally trained and accomplished, Ravindra began teaching at the Early Childhood Development Center in Nepal earlier this year and has already made a world of difference in the lives of his students.
In Nepal, resources are limited for children, especially those of incarcerated parents. According to UNICEF’s 2010 Nepal Child Poverty Report, over a third of Nepal’s 12.6 million children live below the national poverty line, and two in every five of them are severely deprived of at least two basic human needs. With life on the street as their only alternative, many Nepali children are forced to accompany their mothers to jail, since caretakers in the area are few and far between. Nepalese law permits children to stay in jail with their incarcerated mothers only until they reach the age of five, at which point relatives usually assume custody. Unfortunately, in many cases there are no relatives available to take care of these children, ultimately leaving them helpless and homeless.
That’s where ECDC comes in. Their mission aims to ensure incarcerated mothers have more control over their children’s fate, working tirelessly to supply each and every child with the resources necessary to shape their ideal future. With the help of Ravindra and the rest of their team, ECDC offers these children something they could never get in prison: the chance to be a kid. Through the power of music, children who were once in a seemingly impossible position are given a fresh start, finally able to enjoy their childhood.
Ravindra leads classical guitar classes every week, using ACG’s resource GuitarCurriculum.com to teach his students how to play and perform. For them, music is more than entertainment, it’s a rare privilege that becomes a source of great pride when they learn how to create it themselves.
Ravindra Paudyal
“They want to show their ability and enjoy themselves in the field of music, and as a result, they find their dreams here,” Ravindra explains.
Much like the children he teaches, Ravindra’s own upbringing largely shaped his future in music. “My older brother was a very good musician, until all of a sudden he became very ill and his kidney stopped working. At the hospital, he held my hand and told me, ‘you must learn music, because I don’t think I’ll get the chance.’ It was very hard for me to hear those words. Then one day he passed away. Our house, once full of musical sound and melody, suddenly turned into grave silence. These circumstances are what inspired me to learn music.”
Slowly but surely, Ravindra began practicing guitar by himself. “I couldn’t help but feel like the soul of my brother was imbedded in me. I felt like his dream was leading me,” he recalls. “Since then, I’ve realized just how much my instrument means to me. My guitar became a friend that led me to celebrate in joy, counseled me and supported me during my sorrows.”
Teaching guitar allows Ravindra to do the same for his students. “My greatest wish is to produce brilliant classical musicians through ECDC, so that they can make a living on their own after they leave the program. Beyond that, I hope to produce future teachers through ECDC so that they can teach the next generation of musicians.”
He insists that ACG has made it all possible. “Working with ACG is truly gratifying because of their heartfelt intentions and their prolific direction of creating skillful musicians by providing quality education purely based on non-profit social work. They provide countless opportunities to a lot of skilled classical musicians, which drives me to be truthful and dedicated in my work. Because of this, I’ve been fortunate enough to enhance the lives of so many children.”
From the Desk is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the organization through the eyes of the staff members. These articles focus on the staff’s thoughts and motivations, and hopefully provides a chance to get to know the people behind the scenes.
This week’s From the Desk is written by ACG and GuitarCurriculum.com’s Director of Curriculum, Eric Pearson.
A native of western New York, Eric had previously served as Executive Director of the Infinity Performing Arts Program, Inc. and taught at Ithaca College and Cayuga Community College. He is a frequent clinician at state and national meetings for music educators, including conferences hosted by the Texas Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Educators, and the American String Teachers Association. ---
It’s an exciting time for GuitarCurriculum.com!
This summer we made some major updates to the website, including a whole new look and layout. We also added over 20 new solos, 10 new recordings, and several pieces submitted by guest composers using our new share music page!
We are always looking for ways to make this resource more robust and easily accessible for your use in the classroom. Just this week, we have begun adding model performance videos to the score landing pages of our ensemble arrangements. Check out this one featuring an ensemble led by our frequent guest clinician, Chuck Hulihan. If you would like to share an outstanding performance of one of the GuitarCurriculum pieces, please reply to this email, or post to the forum with permission to use your clip!
We have also been hosting a series of live webinars on a variety of topics submitted by users and teachers around the world. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, or if you would like to join in on the conversation, please reach out and let us know!
In the coming weeks we will be releasing new arrangements of traditional music from Mexico, revised course packets, new elementary materials and even arrangements of Turkish music by our guest composer, Celil Refik Kaya.
Ultimately, this resource is a reflection of what teachers like you have expressed a need for over the years. We thank you for the opportunity to grow in this journey together, and to help serve the developing young musicians in your classroom.
Keep in touch and please share what cool projects are going on in your part of the world!
- Eric Pearson
P.S. We’ll be at the New York State School Music Association conference in Rochester, NY in December. Stop by our booth and say hello if you’re there!
Postcards is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the guitar programs around the nation and strives to bring the guitar teacher community together.
This week’s Postcards is written by James McKay, Music Educator at Jennings Junior High in Jennings Missouri. McKay discusses the expressive and therapeutic benefits of playing guitar in this Postcard.
Jennings Jr. High Postcard
James McKay
Here in a little town called Jennings Missouri, some really incredible things are happening. Tightly tucked away between St. Louis (Top 10 most dangerous U.S. cities) and Ferguson (known for the national attention it got from the Mike Brown incident), music has been used to impact the lives of youth who once have and continue to experience trauma.
For a region of this size, the Jennings School District is fairly small. It's comprised of three elementary, one junior, and one high school. In 2014, I piloted a string program that has now blossomed to cover all five buildings. All students started on violin and later, when given a chance, moved on to viola, cello, or double bass. I began to notice that some of the students weren't taking music classes purely for the love of music. Some attended because of what the course did for them - relaxation. On several occasions, when asked about the class, students repeated responded,
"Playing music relaxes me, I feel calm."
Fast forward to 2017, my life was impacted by a visit to the workshop hosted by the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society. A wonderful gentlemen from Austin Classical Guitar introduced me to GuitarCurriculum.com, and immediately, I was SOLD ON the idea of a non-guitarist having the ability to teach classical guitar effectively. Three years later, we have 27 middle schoolers playing guitar and playing several performances throughout the school year. Thanks to the ongoing support from the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society, I can grow my program to scale.
The blessing in disguise here is, some of the students who signed up for the violin ended up falling in love with classical guitar. Our students now have expanded choices for music that helps them to not only express themselves but also enjoy the therapeutic benefits of playing music.
We’d love to hear about guitar in your part of the world next! Reach out to Jess Griggs anytime with your story and a photo or two.
Postcards is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the guitar programs around the nation and strives to bring the guitar teacher community together.
This week’s Postcards is written by Internal Creations’s (IC) Founder and Executive Director, Jahzeel Montes. IC is a New York-based “classical guitar program dedicated to empowering youth through music education while providing a safe, nurturing, family based learning environment centered on expanding the student’s knowledge in music and decision-making.”
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Community Service Through Music
Jahzeel Montes
As a music organization, we must remember that all our work is to improve the quality of life for the communities and people we serve. In December, Internal Creations’ students performed Christmas songs for the residents, community members, local merchants and elected officials of East New York at Cypress Hills-Fulton Senior Center. This brought joy to the audience. Many of whom had never been exposed to a classical guitar ensemble. In return, the audience members and elected officials gave each student who performed citations for their community service!
That same month we performed at St. John's Bread and Life soup kitchen in Brooklyn.The performance took place while guests were waiting for their pantry order. Some of the audience members came up to learn how to play a song on the guitar! They loved the experience, and it bought smiles and confidence to their life in a matter of a few minutes. Later on, our students even helped prepare the food orders - working until near closing time. Through this experience, the young performers learned the beauty of giving back and how great it feels to help others who are in need.
Our students also performed an interactive concert at a Montessori School. We played children’s songs and the young audience was encouraged to sing along. The performance was followed by a Q&A, where the children asked the students about guitar, music, and their experiences. Our students then worked with the young children on educational games, and learned about what it takes to become a teacher in the pre-k settings.
Lastly, when our students have gone into senior centers, it has not only been about the performance. It has been about the exchange of skills, ideas, and stories. Often, IC students take the initiative to teach the seniors how to play. Additionally, the students listen to the seniors’ stories and get inspired by their life experiences.
When students go into a soup kitchen, senior center, or a school to perform, it's not only about playing the guitar - it's about sharing and helping out with the work needed for their mission.
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Internal Creations approaches every community space trying to answer the question - how can we enhance our community through music? By creating meaningful performances, the organization inspires both the young musicians and the audience members. In turn, bringing people together through art, love, and respect.
Javier Niño was wonderful young man who brought joy through beauty and kindness to countless people during his short lifetime. He was an excellent student, an inspiring musician, and a great friend to many. Javier graduated high school as a distinguished member of the McCallum Chamber Guitar Ensemble under the direction of Andrew Clark, and for years he worked closely with ACG team members Joseph Palmer and Jeremy Osborne.
With the help of the Skeel/Baldauf family, Diane, Larry and Aaron, and many friends and supporters, we at Austin Classical Guitar honor Javier’s legacy through the Javier Niño Memorial Scholarship Fund. You can learn more about Javi’s fund, read comments from friends, and contribute, online here.
Today we are pleased to announce that our first recipient of the Javier Niño Scholarship is Elijah Melodic Flores. Elijah began studying guitar with Phil Swasey at Bedicheck Middle School. Currently, Elijah is a junior in the Crockett High School guitar program under the direction of Ron Hare.
As a Javier Niño Scholarship award winner, Elijah will receive a new instrument, weekly lessons, and various performance and enrichment opportunities in the coming year.
We asked Elijah about his start with guitar.
Elijah Flores
“I started playing classical guitar when I was 11 years old at Bedichek Middle School. I was drawn to guitar after listening to my dad as a child. The main reason I wanted to join a music program was because of my dad. He wanted me to have a productive outlet for my energy.
Before I started Middle School, I struggled with focus and I was very hyper and uncontrolled. I would frustrate my teachers because I would never sit still or stop talking. I remember my very first day walking into guitar class feeling excited and a little scared when I met my first guitar teacher, Mr. Swasey. He was very nice and charismatic and helped me to feel comfortable along with the other students in a friendly environment.”
Phil Swasey had this to say when he heard the news. “Congratulations to Elijah on this amazing honor, I'm very proud! It was my pleasure to work with him for three years at Bedichek Middle School, and watching his musical development in that short span of time was inspiring. Every morning as a 6th grader he was in my room practicing with the 8th graders to learn their music, and every year after seemed to develop exponentially motivated by his thirst for music. I'm confident that Elijah will flourish with the resources granted to him through the Javier Niño Scholarship and conduct himself in the spirit of this generous opportunity.”
As for the future, Elijah had this to say. “My goal for my 6th year playing guitar is to try my best to perfect my technique, learn more challenging music, compete in more competitions, and build my auditioning repertoire for colleges. My dream with guitar is to create my own music and be able to record and edit it. This applies to any instrument; I want to learn it all.
Classical guitar has changed my life and will always be valuable to me. It takes a lot more effort and commitment to learn such a beautiful style of guitar than to just strum chords of play riffs, and I’m proud to call myself a classical guitarist.”
together is our guiding principle this year, it's what we're calling the whole season. togetheris also the name of our January concert -- the next step in our series of artistic explorations that began with i/we, and continued last year with dream.
We asked our Artistic Director Joseph Williams, and our Education Director Travis Marcum, to share their thoughts about together, and this is what they said:
One of the greatest challenges of our time is isolation. Whether we are cut off from one another by technology, addiction, health, or dogma, this separateness can make it difficult to see beyond the moment, beyond ourselves.
As a theme for our season, together is about disrupting the pattern of isolation and fostering belonging.
It is about meeting people where they are, and exercising the power of music to create a space for shared experience and beauty. It is a movement - a call to action to notice the distance between us, to dissolve social borders and build community.
together is a year long community effort spanning our upcoming season, and it is a new concert project that will be premiered January 2020. Like our community-centered concert projects dream and i/we, we are asking people to share their experiences in their words so that we can all listen, bear witness, contribute our own voice, and learn.
Travis and I have been talking with people across the Austin community in hospitals, senior living facilities, shelters, and in homes. We have asked the questions: How are you alone? How do you belong? What are the times in your life that have pulled you to the fringes, resulting in isolation? What brings you closer to others? What are your experiences of unambiguous love and support that have made you feel one with your community, your world?
The ACG Youth Orchestra.
Last Spring, Travis had the opportunity to work with a young woman at Dell Children's Hospital through ACG's Music & Healing Program as she was preparing for the latest of many major surgeries. You can read about a very special day with her here.
When asked, how do you belong? She said:
"There is life in this (hospital) room. I can see colors. I can hear my mom say I love you. I can taste, and I can hear laughter. I can hear the guitar. Even if I am stuck between these four walls and I can't move, there is life in this room. And I belong because I have a purpose. That purpose is gratitude. My purpose is to help people like they have helped me. As a person with a disability, I am an outcast. But I believe I can help people love themselves."
One of the songs from the Music & Healing program:
together is a collective celebration of our differences and an opportunity to marvel at our sameness.
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Do you have thoughts you might like to share about how you are alone, or how you belong? Join our discussion on FaceBook or email us!
Most of all, we invite you to be together with us, and we welcome your suggestions any time for how we can better include individuals in our community in meaningful ways -- especially individuals experiencing isolation.
Our greatest joy at ACG Education is connecting with students and teachers over long periods of time. We make music together, but even more important are the powerful friendships that develop.
This summer Angelica Campbell, a former student of ours from Crockett High School who is now a junior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in music, caught up with a few of our alumni and asked "Where are you now?”
We hope you enjoy reading their answers as much as we do!
2019-2020 budget for ACG Education: $593,141. Contact us for ways to get involved.
Rey Rodriguez Jr
Like many, music has always been a part of my life. It helped connect me to the ones I love. I remember growing up listening to jazz with my dad. I would love to see his face light up as Stan Getz or Wes Montgomery played on the radio. In a special kind of way, this is where I first fell in love with music. Even when signing up for classes in my first year of middle school, I wanted to become a jazz musician. Although that didn’t exactly pan out as planned, I still stumbled across an even better passion, Classical Guitar.
Although the Guitar hasn’t always been a part of my life like music has, It has brought me so many opportunities and even an entire new family. I have had amazing teachers, mentors, and made amazing friends. Music has given me so many happy experiences.It has even given me a future to look forward to. In August of this year I get to attend UT and study Classical Guitar. I am so grateful for what Music and Guitar has brought me, and I can’t wait to see where they will take me.
Saul Hernandez
I can say with a lot of certainty that music has shaped my life in a tremendously positive way. In my life, the act of creating music has been a very empowering process. During my teenage years when many aspects of my life were in disarray, I was able to enter a classroom and create harmony. During this time when I felt lost, I was able to find a home in the notes and rhythms of my instrument. Upon participating in guitar classes in high school, I was able to join an environment where I felt encouraged and supported. Music has allowed me to join an empowering culture where everyone is passionate about learning and growing together.
This fall I will be entering my first year of teaching classical guitar in the classroom. As I reflect on all my past experiences, I only hope that I can positively influence the lives of my students in the same way that my mentors and teachers have influenced my own life. I hope that I can teach my students that it is okay to be unapologetically passionate about something that you love. I hope that I can encourage my students to always to create, learn, and grow. I am optimistic that, through an education in the arts, my students will obtain the tools and knowledge to be successful - wherever the future may take them.
Javier Saucedo
Music has been a part of my life since childhood; my dad was in a family band with his brothers since the late 60’s. Ever since I could remember I always wanted to be a musician, especially a guitarist. Like many other musicians, it has given me a sense of identity, opened many doors, as well as many amazing opportunities. I hope that the love I have for music, guitar, and for the ACG community will transcend through my teaching and influence my students to give back to their communities in the future.
After receiving my degree at Texas State University, where I studied Classical Guitar Performance, I started working under contract with Austin Classical Guitar for their education outreach program. This led me to enlist in the alternative certification program called Teach Quest. Now I have accepted a teaching position as one of the Guitar Directors at what is now Lively Middle School, formally known as Fulmore.
Justice Phillips
Like any serious musician, music and specifically guitar has had a profound impact on my life in various manners. When I ponder the things music has done for me the first thought that comes to mind are the relationships in my life that have started because of music. The first guitar class I ever took was after school in sixth grade at Fulmore Middle School, and in that class I became friends with the person who would go on to be my closest friend throughout middle school. Also in my classroom classical guitar class that was ran by Jeremy Osborne from Austin Classical Guitar, I met many friends that I would know for many years. But, the most important relationship guitar has created for me is the one with my current closest friend that I have known now for close to a decade now and have lived with for over four years. I had the pleasure of meeting him at McCallum Fine Arts Academy, a school I didn’t live in the area for but attended for the sole purpose of pursuing classical guitar. There have been numerous relationships in my life that were created because of the opportunities I had with music and guitar.
Music and guitar have also provided for me in many different ways other than the relationships they’ve helped me build. Obviously music enriches my spirit and playing guitar soothes my soul, but that much is true for every serious musician and their instrument of expertise. We all love music in a way that’s hard to convey in words, and you don’t have to be a musician to feel that. What music has done for me as a guitar player though is allow me an outlet to give back to my community, and do something to make people feel happier for a brief moment. When I play guitar for people and the music induces feelings of happiness, I feel a sense of purpose and satisfaction. That is why I feel so fortunate to be able to work for Austin Classical Guitar. Through ACG I am constantly finding myself having opportunities to use music and the work we do to give back to the community and spread joy to people of all backgrounds and ages. It’s extremely humbling, provides a feeling that is unmatched, and it’s something I wouldn’t have experienced without music and guitar.
Alex Lew
Playing music has been a defining trait of my character ever since I can remember. However, my life was truly put on a trajectory once I found the classical guitar. It all started in middle school when I joined the guitar program and started taking private lessons. I have always been introverted and reserved, but when I play the guitar in front of an audience I feel a sense of self empowerment and confidence that I wouldn’t be able to feel otherwise. The staff at ACG allowed for this discovery, and the guitar allowed me to develop my personality to who I am today. Once my teacher suggested that I could get a degree in something that I genuinely enjoy, it was a no-brainer. My appreciation for music continues to grow, but especially after I realized that it’s not just about the notes on a page, but about how those notes are interpreted by the performer. I am now entering my last year at the University of Texas majoring in classical guitar performance and I have ACG to thank for my accomplishments.
Angelica Campbell
Music has always been a huge part of my life and community I grew up around. I first started learning how to play music in my early childhood. Mainly off the internet, but I joined music programs at my public school as soon as I could. I always felt the most connected to people when playing music with them. The friends I made in my guitar and mariachi classes are still my longest and strongest friendships. Growing up in a low income household, I wasn't able to have many opportunities to continue music outside of school. However, once I met the members of ACG in high school every opportunity I needed to succeed was laid out on the table for me. Through the help of ACG I was donated a guitar so that I could have my own to audition with for University, and I was also donated private guitar lessons to help me grow and succeed as a musician.
I am currently a junior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in classical guitar performance and I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am today if it weren't for the community, safety, acceptance, success, and room for growth that the music programs I was a part of brought to me. ACG was a huge part of bringing that together for myself and the friends I made throughout the programs and I couldn't be more grateful.
Jeremy Osborne has touched the lives of many young people who have had the great fortune of working with him, as well as his colleagues, friends, and family. Join us in learning what motivates Jeremy, as well as what this time at ACG has meant to him.
If his story inspires, and you would like to support our services here at ACG, click here.
I cannot begin to express my gratitude for all of the wonderful notes and generous gifts of support that came this past month in honor of my 10-year anniversary with ACG. I have to look at the Appreciation Page in moderation because my emotions completely overwhelm me, but wow, what a gift to receive!
I especially want to acknowledge my former students. I truly believe that any impact I've had on you is merely a fraction of the impact you've had on me. You were my teachers, too.
It's been an amazing ten years, and I would like to share a little bit about what this time has meant to me.
My mother is an elementary music teacher, and my father is a Lutheran minister. They value service to others as a virtue above nearly everything else, and instilled that in me early on. As I got older, I became motivated by the idea of altruism, and grew to appreciate how those who share their time and talents actually receive more than they give.
ACG has allowed me to give myself in so many ways, most of the time with a guitar in my hand. It has pushed me to face seemingly insurmountable tasks, but always with the tools to be successful. ACG has informed my humanity, and more importantly, has taught me how to transform empathy into action.
When I joined ACG 10 years ago, I was preoccupied with learning how to be a more effective leader in the classroom. As any veteran teacher will tell you, it takes about three years of classroom experience just to realize how clueless you are. I eventually gained my confidence, but my "Aha!" moment had nothing to do with pedagogy. It was the realization that success in teaching is directly related to how you cultivate, maintain, and leverage the community of your classroom.
I'll never forget the first concert I led with my students at Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center. We were nervously warming up beforehand, and suddenly one of my students asked, "Mr. O, do you know that Our Father prayer?"
I paused, because I wasn't sure it was appropriate, but I said I'd lead us through it and no one needed to feel obligated to join. Without a word, they all stood and gathered around me, forming a tight circle. I heard a couple of the staff members gasp. What's significant is that up until this concert, some of those kids were not even allowed to be in the same room together because of fear of violent conflict. I had to teach them in separate sections. But standing together in this circle, everyone's hard work and refinement had led us to this moment of trust, and an appreciation for the collective strength that comes through community.
Our mission at ACG is to inspire people through musical experiences of deep personal significance. This leads us to engage the communities we serve in creative ways by using artistry to meet people where they are.
Guitar education has progressed dramatically on my watch, especially in central Texas. In my 10 years, we've gone from supporting programs in two high schools and two middle schools to guitar classes in nearly every middle and high school in AISD. We've created a one-of-a-kind program at Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center, and will start a new one in Williamson County next month. Our online curriculum went from a unique website to a resource utilized all over the world! Despite all this, it feels like we are just getting started.
Thank you for letting me be a part of this journey, thank you for letting me lead you through parts of it, and thank you for supporting us as we see what lies around the bend!
As most teachers can attest to, the first years in the classroom can be an emotional, physical and mentally trying time for young professionals. Working with directors that are experiencing these fresh and raw feelings for the first time has encouraged me to look back at my own experiences during the early stages of my career.
This week’s From the Desk is written by ACG and GuitarCurriculum.com’s Director of Curriculum, Eric Pearson.
For a region of this size, the Jennings School District is fairly small. It's comprised of three elementary, one junior, and one high school. In 2014, I piloted a string program that has now blossomed to cover all five buildings. All students started on violin and later, when given a chance, moved on to viola, cello, or double bass. I began to notice that some of the students weren't taking music classes purely for the love of music. Some attended because of what the course did for them - relaxation. On several occasions, when asked about the class, students repeated responded, 
Our students also performed an interactive concert at a Montessori School. We played children’s songs and the young audience was encouraged to sing along. The performance was followed by a Q&A, where the children asked the students about guitar, music, and their experiences. Our students then worked with the young children on educational games, and learned about what it takes to become a teacher in the pre-k settings. 
together is our guiding principle this year, it's what we're calling the whole season. together is also the name of our January concert -- the next step in our series of artistic explorations that began with i/we, and continued last year with dream.
together is a year long community effort spanning our upcoming season, and it is a new concert project that will be premiered January 2020. Like our community-centered concert projects dream and i/we, we are asking people to share their experiences in their words so that we can all listen, bear witness, contribute our own voice, and learn.
