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Fourteen years ago, Austin Classical Guitar recognized the need for an improved system of school-based guitar education comparable to established programs in choir, orchestra, and band. Three years later, we launched GuitarCurriculum.com. Now used internationally by hundreds of teachers serving tens of thousands of students, “GC.com” is a comprehensive teacher resource that includes a searchable library of original, pedagogically-sequenced ensemble literature, sight reading, and audio and video tutorials, all espousing a core educational philosophy of “expressive, beautiful music-making from the very first day.”
We’ve been talking to teachers around the country – and the world – about how they use our curriculum, and wanted to share with you these words from Sayil López, a guitarist and educator in Mexico City.
People really like guitar in Mexico, and a large number of children are starting to play. One of the easiest ways to teach all of them is by putting together ensembles. But we have to find teaching materials intended for groups, since right now, we lack the tools.
I started playing guitar as a small child of 9, and became a teacher 15 years ago. As a teacher, I believe it’s important to know many methods of education. I find yours very interesting, useful, and practical.
I conduct a children’s orchestra in the Facultad de Música in the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. We don’t have a set guitar curriculum, so GuitarCurriculum.com is our base, and the only program that actually works for us. I’ve worked with your method for the past five years.
My children’s orchestra has kids between the ages of 8 to 15. They all represent a wide range of levels, which is common in ensembles, and a characteristic of guitar ensembles especially. Your curriculum is the first that solves this particular problem. The kids love to play the music, and the quality of arrangements is really well done. There are different and mixed levels for each piece, it’s so inclusive.
When a little child and a more advanced student play together, it’s beautiful that they’re able to share the music. It motivates the younger child.
At the Facultad de Música, the children work so hard. They have a lot of lessons during the week, and they get so tired. The children used to get disappointed with music and quit.
When you give a child something too difficult to play, it’s easy to give up. When a child plays something at the right level, something enjoyable, it’s motivating. That’s why students love the GuitarCurriculum.com music. When they finish one part, they move on to a more difficult one.
When I started using GuitarCurriculum.com with the children’s orchestra, they all were suddenly so motivated to work. Other teachers asked what I was doing. It was beautiful, and the parents were so thankful. They want their children to be happy, and for that, the kids have to be happy with music.
If we had the program in Spanish, that would be great. I would like to use it the right way: reading and understanding all the histories of the pieces and the full instructions. More of my colleagues would use it too. GuitarCurriculum.com should be more well known!