WELCOME TO GUITARS IN THE CLASSROOM!

We are happy that you have expressed interest in working with our program. In this booklet you will find answers to many questions about how, where, what and why we help teachers learn to play guitar and sing with students. We are looking for program coordinators and instructors who will enjoy our approach, and who can grow into the leadership that will be required to make it all happen for your area. We hope you have a good read.

PROGRAM TRAINING

To qualify as a GITC Program Coordinator you must possess the following skills:

• Know how to teach basic acoustic guitar, preferably group guitar
  
• Be comfortable and confident leading groups in song
• Have knowledge and practical experience organizing programs and keeping track of people, property, and information.
• Understand the experience of the K-6 classroom teacher
• Have experience teaching children.
• Be empathic and able to structure and adjust your teaching to meet the emerging needs of the teachers in your classes.

If you meet these requirements, then you've got the basics to get started.

Training from that point takes place through personal correspondence and ongoing dialogue with the founder and GITC's Executive Director, Jessica Baron. as well as a regional director who advises and supports teachers in your state.

Your training experience will be very much "in the trenches" where you will learn to integrate the GITC approach and philosophy along with our program materials with your own teaching strengths and musical preferences.

You will be provided with GITC books, CD's and videos at no charge.

The GITC method uses open G tuning and simplified chords, and then moves into regular tuning. (See question below on what method to use.)

• As of yet there are no seminars to attend. However plans are in the works to provide regional seminars later in 2009 or soon thereafter.


• For more personal training, new coordinators are encouraged to correspond with other GITC coordinators in their region via telephone and internet or to find an existing GITC program and meet with the instructor.

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HOURS & INCOME

How much do I get paid? Is this a fulltime job?

• GITC typically takes people two to four hours a week to prep and teach. Some people have developed a large practice teaching guitar based on getting started with GITC programs, but the program is designed to fit into your existing work schedule with ease. Perhaps you will work two evenings a week at most unless you start many different models of the program.
• There are three categories of pay for the GITC Coordinator/Instructor.
• One is for setting up a new program.
• Another covers logistical weekly coordination of the work such as enrollment, contacting students, filling out surveys, etc. and this is paid at $20/hr for each teaching hour.
• GITC teaching hours earn the instructor $44 each.
  Faculty members are paid as independent contractors and at the end of the fiscal year, they receive a 1099 form showing their earnings if in excess of $600.00.

GITC provides faculty with an invoicing system that makes it easy to track your hours during every 4-8 week session, giving you space to write descriptions of your tasks, and dates you worked. Payment occurs at the end of each 4-8 week cycle of classes.

• GITC does not reimburse minor expenses you incur on the program's behalf because you are being paid as an independent contractor and you are using your own car, computer, materials, and expertise to do this work. This means you can save your receipts and take those expenditures as work related tax deductions at the end of the year. In 2007, we raised the teaching pay from $40 an hour to $44 an hour to cover incidental weekly photocopying expenses.
• Should you want to get special items for your program such as banners, t-shirts or other goodies, you are encouraged to hold a guitar raffle with one of our donated guitars to fund these sorts of mission related projects.

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JOB DESCRIPTIONS

What does the clerical work of the Coordinator include?

• setting up your storage space and database
• arranging for donated teaching space
• doing promotion to fill your classes in local papers
• promoting community awareness of your program through fundraising and community interaction, maintaining class lists, contact information, inventory of guitars, teaching materials, and guitar accessories, and sending thankyou's to manufacturers and fundraising supporters.
• Send all completed surveys filled in by students to national office after each session.

What do the instructor's responsibilities and hours of the coordinator work include?

• Learning the approach and preparing materials specific to you and your classes.
• It includes the actual hours of teaching your GITC groups and 15min of setup and take down on each side.
• It includes about three hours of preparation time for each 4-8 week session of classes. (If you have more than one class each session, you may include only a total of three hours of prep on your invoice) These three prep hours can include studying curriculum and planning lesson charts. Once these templates are set up they are reusable for other sessions, even though you will need to readjust them as you work your way through a session. You can also use your three hours of prep per session to read about or when it is available, attend training for upgrading guitar pedagogy or class management skills. You can work on memorizing your teaching repertoire of songs, reading guitar magazines, and staying current with the GITC website forums and articles.
• Make sure your students fill out surveys at the beginning of and at the completion of sessions. Make sure to get these to your coordinator in order that they be sent to the national office.

Are all program coordinators also instructors?

• Not always, sometimes two people share these responsibilities and the teamwork is a big plus for everyone.

How do coordinator/instructor partnerships work?

• Partnerships must go through an application process with a proper description of the partnership, explaining who will take charge of what tasks.
• One person can get paid for the clerical work, and the other for the teaching work as each are qualified to do, and invoice accordingly.
• If two people are teaching one class (one as a lead teacher and one as an assistant, then the teaching pay overall is $60 per hour and the two teachers need to work out how they are comfortable splitting the money. Some people split it evenly and others work out a percentage split.
• If each partner is teaching a class separately (2 levels going in two different groups) then each one invoices $40/hr for teaching.
• One partner should do most of the clerical work in order to better manage the information and tasks. If the other partner helps with a fundraiser, for example, then both can invoice separately whatever clerical hours they each worked, describing the tasks accomplished.
• Volunteers do not invoice for GITC payment.

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CLASS LEVELS AND SCHEDULING

How frequently do classes meet?

• Weekly

How long do classes last?

• Classes should last an hour with 10 min between. Sometimes the beginners can stay for a strummer or song leader level class, and vice versa. This is fine as long as there is space.

How many weeks are in a session?

• Your sessions should be about 4 to 8 weeks depending on teacher availability and school calendars. Sessions should follow after each other without breaks as much as possible to discourage attrition.

What are the class levels and goals?

• GITC Beginners learn open G tuning; learn to play a C-note and strum the Oepn G with the C note as their first partial chord; Easy D, Easy C, 3 strums, and about 8-10 songs. Singing, strumming, and changing chords makes for instant success and frees students to sing out and develop rhythm skills! Teachers also learn to play body percussion, count and play different simple rhythms, introduce songs, use a capo, adapt material for classroom use, and are encouraged to take what they've learned back to their classrooms.
• Singing is always a component of every level. Singing together helps boost student language skills and literacy as well as introducing and reinforcing general subject knowledge. Teachers begin making music to guide students through transitions, to reward class accomplishments, and to compliment student plays and assemblies. Making music together quickly becomes a favorite student activity, something many teachers do once a week or more. Our classes address and support this process.
• Beginner Plus classes continue with Easy D, the fuller, 3-fingered C chord, a basic Em chord, 4 strums, more songs, a simple scale, and rhythm work as well as solfege and songwriting.
• Strummer I classes help teachers develop fluidity on all basic open G chords while singing, learn to lead musical games, include more songwriting in their activities, learn the G7 chord, practice 5 strums, and do fun rhythm work with percussion instruments. They may be ready or nearly ready to make a transition to playing guitar in standard tuning! If they are ready, they can jump ahead to Songleader I. If they aren't, they may take a Strummer II class.
• In Songleader I, students transition to standard tuning, using Am7, E7, Am, E, Em, D7, and A. At this stage, teachers frequently guest lead classes, sharing their own favorite songs from school. These classes are a great weekly morale booster and give teachers a night out with music and friends- one that makes coming to work the next day an exciting adventure because they are prepared to share a new song or idea.
• More advanced levels of Songleader classes help teachers build their repertoire, develop lessons around songs or vice versa, work on singing songs in various parts and forms, integrate social studies teaching with the music, and much more.
• Rock Star includes learning bass runs, arranging, choral technique, and can lead to training to become a GITC Instructor.

What do I do if people from different ability levels are in the same class?

• Levels of ability can mix if they are not super beginners or super intermediates. This is nice because there is more interesting exposure and input.

Are there completion certificates for students?

• Yes! We have colorful certificates for each level graduates! Be sure to have students fill out class completion surveys beforehand.

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PREPARING TO TEACH

How many weeks does it take to prepare for a class?

• Preparing to teach your first GITC course takes about 2 months of lead time. This includes enough time for finding a teaching space, getting your guitars and supplies shipped and inventoried, publicizing the class, getting familiar with the guitar method, training via email with the director, and enrolling your students in advance.
• Before start a session of classes, you should be familiar with the packet of songs, that means being comfortable with melodies and chord changes. You should be clear on the pedagogy goals for each week's class, keeping in mind that we are "student centered" and we never rush students to meet goals. We develop our goals and then adjust them to fit the people we are teaching. This part of the prep might take a couple of weeks of reading a little here and there and playing some songs on your own.
• Allow yourself some time to read up on our guidelines and teaching tips, too. It's nice to prepare gradually. The better you know that material and the approach, the easier it will be to make it "your own" and interject your ideas.
• On a side note, no matter how well you prepare, it's wise to leave room to wing it! Students often have exciting ideas that you wish to pursue on the spot and that's okay as long as you cover some basic goals each lesson. That freedom to make the curriculum work for you and for the students is one thing that makes teaching with GITC so much fun. As long as the playing is not stressful for the teachers, and the songs and techniques apply in their classrooms and creative lives, we are right on track.

How do I find a teaching space?

• The best place to start is with a public elementary school in a central location. Contact the principal through the secretaries about your nonprofit program and goals for the class. Since teachers from this school or others in the district will be part of your class, then the site will be free. Fax or drop off a brochure that is provided by GITC. After you get permission from the school, you will need to go through the school district facilities use personnel. They will have their paperwork for you to do which will include documentation of GITC insurance coverage. You can obtain this through your regional or national office.
• If you cannot work with a public school, then approach private school spaces, churches, community rooms, coffee venues that enjoy musical jam sessions, even some of the better nursing homes enjoy having their clients listen to a weekly jam session in their facility. You should search only for free space! Once this is all accomplished you can promote your classes. You should allow yourself a month to get your site secured. It may be easy to do, or may take considerable time and effort.

What materials do I use?

• For now use the SmartStart books and CD's and a song packet as an email attachment. By October, 2005, the official Instructor's Handbook with songs and CD will become available for unrestricted use.

What method do I use?

• "SmartStart" is a standard tuning readiness course, and the transition from open "G" into standard tuning is extremely smooth and painless. The transition to standard comes about 3/4 of the way through each of the three SmartStart books. It's an easy switch as the student already knows several of the chord forms with just one more finger to add to really master the first set of standard tuning chords. By first emphasizing rhythm and using the open "G" chord augmented with very simple partial chord forms for the "4" and "5" chords, the method gets students of any age playing and enjoying the experience NOW.
• Because the tuning is so harmonious, students can start singing their hearts out, making up songs, really learning rhythms and strum patterns. Then the left hand comes in slower as their fine muscle coordination and finger strength grow. This teaches people to hear and feel music as they learn to play it.
• The method teaches people to play guitar without teaching note reading because for many people, the reading interferes with developing true musicality. That is because it is abstract and visual in an auditory, kinesthetic medium. As a learning specialist, the author of SmartStart saw that 80%of people have stronger visual capacity than auditory. When they depend on reading music to learn to make music, they ultimately feel bound to the printed page, insecure about their own musical inclinations, and are scared to improvise. SmartStart builds that inner musicality early on so people can move ahead to grasp the visual and spatial side of music without becoming dependent on it.
• The method offers immediate gratification to beginners. They don't struggle. Learning takes place all the time, but progress on the guitar is gradual so it can be pleasurable. The object is for any kind of learner to be able to play guitar, sing, and enjoy making music.

How do I prepare for a class?

• Use a chart which you can fill in the particulars: review songs and techniques from previous weeks, offer something new (i.e. 3 step strum and a song to go with it, counting and feeling the triple meter), favorite songs with turns on song leading, etc. Having a teaching chart will help you move along and keep focused on what you are accomplishing. Teaching a new technique should be carefully thought out and presented clearly. Write down in your lesson chart each step. Provide visuals if necessary. After class and before you leave for home, make notes on your lesson chart which will help you when planning for the next week.

How do I choose songs?

• The SmartStart books and CD's provide some songs, and you will receive the new GITC curriculum in the fall, complete with concepts and songs to match. Songs should provide practice for a new chord, strum or other technique. For example, you are introducing the easy D chord to Beginners. The book will provide a couple of songs with just open G and D. They will be songs that are probably known by most people. You can add another couple of songs from the packet with only open G and D. The next week, review this repertoire and if students are feeling success, then use these songs to try a new strum, for example the horseback (shuffle) strum.
• Don't advance to a new chord and songs until an overall group level of success is assessed. Try round robin song leading to give more able students the opportunity to volunteer for the challenge, and the rest of the group another opportunity to review the songs. Find interesting ways to review and build success before moving on to new stuff.
• If you have some other songs from your own song bank, they must fit into the GITC pedagogical steps, be simple in melody and rhythm, and commonly known. They should be printed up generally in the same format as what GITC provides. We welcome them, and would perhaps use them in our next publication! For the most part, however, use the songs in our curriculum.

How do I know how quickly to progress with new skills and ideas?

• In the guidelines, you will see that each class level has a sequence of goals to accomplish within the session weeks. Moving ahead is important but engaging all your teachers in the fun is even more so.
• You will have differing personalities and ability in your groups. A basic wisdom for group learning is to have something new to share each week, even if it is new songs to practice and solidify technique.
• Challenge more able students to song lead in the class and in their school communities, or to work on building a song notebook for themselves. Invite students who are ready to lead the GITC class for 10 minutes, while you give personal attention where it is most needed.
• Re-assess your students as time goes on and direct them into the most appropriate GITC class level.
• Watch for people who dominate the class more than is healthy for the group. Do your best to get a handle on the situation right away. Reach out to GITC administration for assistance and advice when this happens. A very insecure student or one who needs to move to a more challenging level may present a more controlling personality and try to take up too much attention. Your skills in class management and leadership will grow as you find firm, healthy, and humorous ways to move the class along as you see fit.
• Keep classes simple, light-hearted and fun, and do-able for your students. If your students don't practice at home, and come sporadically, that is still meeting our goal of being a welcoming musical community. If they come sporadically for a year, they may be able to make more commitment the next year. Sometimes it takes a few years for people to find room in their lives to make music. As long as they know we are there for them, they will want to be there with us.
• Fitting a sporadic attendee into the flow of the class will work if you keep thinking of them as beginners. Most of the time they will come at the beginning of the session and then fade out the last half. They will try again the next session, if they are ready. The sporadic attendee will need to experience success to help them become more excited and committed. Be careful to acknowledge any achievement.
• Often beginners will be dealing with frustration. Some may be perfectionists and impatient with themselves for not getting it at first try. This is a common trait in teachers! Encourage them to give themselves credit for making learning guitar a priority at this time in their lives. Remind them to treat themselves as they would a cherished student, lavishing praise and patience on themselves.
• Most adults struggle with hand-eye coordination for new fine motor tasks. This is NORMAL. Those who are slower than the group need you to break their tasks down into smaller, easier bites, so prepare yourself thoroughly to make sure each step of explanation is given time. Always take a moment to individualize your instruction. Everyone will appreciate your motivation and dedication.
• Visual learners need to see your fingers clearly to copy and perform any challenging task. So sit where they can see you and also use visual aids- make a chart or a special hand-out for teaching new ideas or skills.
• Take the class's temperature frequently, meaning check in with individuals during the class to assess frustration or progress. More insecure ones may not let you know unless you ask. All this adds up to being thorough and moving slowly with beginners, so that you have them experience the pleasure of success and growing confidence.
• Encourage students to bring tape recorders to class and record their lessons so they can remember everything and practice with the group during the week.
• Promote the rare fast learners, even mid-session if necessary to keep them excited and challenged.
• Encourage people who show a lack of mastery of current skills to take a level twice. There is NO PRESSURE to practice and progress comes in time if they just keep playing.

What kinds of musical skills do I teach in addition to guitar?

• You will be teaching concepts like dynamics, tempo, duple and triple meter, and skills like beat and rhythm work with percussion instruments. You will be strengthening vocal technique by teaching about breath support, some ear training with solfege, singing in a range that is proper for a classroom of children, and thinking about good diction.
• At Strummer level, you can discuss the scale and what makes a key. You will be teaching people that have had little experience making music, and so will need to understand the components of song leading: the difficulty level of the melody (moving by step or skip), time signatures, difficulty level of rhythm, the tempo, and consistent ways to start and end songs.
• People who sing out of tune are usually inexperienced singers who need to sing more! Everyone can usually sing "Happy Birthday" and "My Country Tis' of Thee" because they know it so well! Singing the GITC songs repeatedly will help them find their voices. When you are singing together in class, don't drown them out with your voice, but rather fade so that they can hear their own singing and sing out more.
• Including a listening and music appreciation component that includes some classical, jazz, country, blues, choral and other music will only improve their overall musicality. Make a game out of deciding together: duple or triple meter, solo or ensemble voices, what instruments can be heard, what style of music, straight rhythm or syncopated, significant dynamic changes, etc.

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BUILDING YOUR PROGRAM

Where do my supplies come from?

• GITC is blessed with dedicated and resourceful sponsors. We thank them for our gifts:
• D'Addario Strings & Planet Wave
• D'Andrea Manufacturing
• Dana B. Goods
• Dunlop Manufacturing
• Luthier's Mercantile Intern'l
• The Martin Guitar Company
• Musicorp, an MBT International Company
• Roland, U.S.A./ BOSS
• St. Louis Music, Inc.
• Tacoma Guitars
• Taylor Guitars
• The D'Addario Family Foundation
• The Godin Guitar Company

How do I thank our donors?

• It is good policy to include our sponsors in our GITC family by regularly thanking them for any donations you receive. Always include a little information on how their materials contributed to your success, and photos, if possible! Please write them using the addresses below. We will update them each year. A single card signed by all your teachers twice a year makes a difference to our sponsors.
Guitars in the Classroom 2005 Sponsors
• Thank you for capos & flatpicks:
• Dunlop Manufacturing Ms. Jasmin Powell 150 Industrial Way Benicia, CA 94510
• guitar strings:
• Mr. John D'Addario Jr. D'Addario 595 Smith St. Farmingdale, NY 11735
• Planetwaves guitar accessories:
• Trish Johnson & Peter D'Addario D'Addario Family Foundation for the Performing Arts 595 Smith St. Farmingdale, NY 11735
• guitars:
• Janet and Robert Godin The Godin Guitar Company 19420 Avenue Clark-Graham Baie D'Urfé Québec H9X 3R8
• John Maher ASC Guitar Co. (America Sejung Corp.) 295 Brea Canyon Rd. Walnut, CA 91789
• guitar and gig bag discounts:
• Keith Wood MBT International PO Box 30819 Charleston, SC 29417
• electronic tuners:
• Ms. Debra Barbre
Roland Corporation U.S. 5100 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040-2938

How do I get the supplies I need?

• Try to anticipate your needs well in advance. Since shipping is involved, it's best to request them in a timely manner from your regional or national director. You can begin by asking Jessica Baron Turner at the national office in Santa Cruz and she will direct you to the right person or send supplies from there. (A month before your Fall or Spring program begins is best.)
• If a need for more supplies arises during a session, then just call or email your regional or national director, and ask what can be done to meet it.

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FUNDING AND PROMOTION

How long will my funding last?

• You will be given startup funding, which should pay for your hours, site fees, promotion, etc, for the first year. Within the first six months, you should begin planning fundraising efforts to make your program more and more self-supporting in each future year. Since government funding of music in the schools has been disappearing, then community programs that successfully raise local funds will be the ones that carry on into the future.
• At this time, GITC is planning to begin work on a fundraising guide for our program coordinators. If you are currently teaching a program, your funding is in place for now. We'll send you more information soon.

How do I raise money for my program?

• There are two aspects that contribute to the success of your program's fundraising efforts: teacher involvement and community presence.
• Involve your teacher/students to brainstorm, plan and execute any fundraising events, building from with the GITC family commitment to your program.
• Always be consistent about ways to create a face and appeal for your program in your community through your fundraising promotions.
• Hold a yearly benefit concert with an auction to raffle off a higher grade donated guitar. It can be a lot of fun!
• Have a pledge drive for a Petrified Songleader's Jam Session at a local coffee bar, where your students take turns songleading, earning $$ for each song they lead.
• Try a community effort such as a car wash to raise quick funds.
• Approach community organizations that have scholarships and grants to offer. The more you get into fundraising, the more your GITC classes will grow as family!
• Form a fundraising committee - many hands make light work!
• Apply for local grants for arts education, staff development, enrichment, or any other qualifier that fits your program. You can get help from the national office.

Is there some kind of certification certificate for me as an instructor?

• Yes. Once you successfully launch your program and complete your first cycle of classes with a group of beginners who re-enroll, you will receive a GITC Instructor certificate.

Should I meet with the Superintendent of Schools in my area to get support for my program with the district?

• No, it is not necessary.

Should I meet with school principals to tell them about GITC?

• Only contact the principal of a particular school in the instance that you wish to teach classes at his or her school site, unless you are invited to come for a chat.

Should I visit school faculty meetings to get teachers to enroll in GITC classes?

• No, it is not necessary. Ask the secretaries to distribute fliers in teacher boxes. But if you are invited to attend, you are encouraged to do so!

What other ways can I promote my classes to the school community?

• If there is a school district newsletter or publication, ask to submit an article or request an interview. Perhaps there is also a calendar or announcements section. Interviews in local papers net results!

When should I publicize GITC classes in order to start the enrollment process?

• You can distribute fliers in teacher boxes at the beginning of the school year, but plan to start teaching at least one month after school begins.
• Make announcements in newspaper calendars or class announcement sections a month in advance to allow time for teachers to respond and enroll.
• P.S.A.s (public service announcements) on radio or local TV should be mailed to stations and can be aired three weeks before classes start.
• Any last minute interviews should be printed a week or so before classes begin, so try to plan them early to make deadlines. GITC makes good news the education front so local newspapers like to cover it.

Guitars in the Classroom thanks you for taking the time to investigate our program and apply. We look forward to working with you in the enriching experience of helping teachers bring music to their classrooms.

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How To Set Up Your New GITC Regional Program

Create Your Notebook

SUPPLIES As you develop your guitar program, you'll need four items. These are:

• "1 three ring binder with dividers to keep your work and papers in order A wide notebook will give you room to add new information. You'll bring this notebook to every class and use it to keep your program running smoothly.
• 1 portable file box A plastic milk crate is an ideal size.
• 1 box of hanging file folders to store manila file folders You'll need a few of these to hold songs and charts, one for theory, and some for community based hand-outs and miscellaneous information.
• 1 box of blank, empty file folders for organizing loose music for your classes As you get new charts and hand-outs, store multiple copies of each one in its own folder so teachers who are missing a single sheet can easily locate it themselves at the start of each class. Teachers who join the class after the first few sessions can also take whatever they need from these folders without needing much assistance from you.

BINDER In your binder, create the following sections in whatever order you prefer, then file your papers accordingly:

• Teacher EnrollmentFor your enrollment lists, you should have each teacher's name, address, telephone, email, level of ability, school, grade they teach, and the serial numbers. Keep lists current, and also retain old lists, because many teachers will re-enroll in the future or wish to participate in special events. If you can create a list in your computer with all the teachers' emails, you'll have an easy time informing people about scheduling changes, requests, and upcoming events.
• Program Journal As you develop your program and after every class, please write a journal entry, a minimum of one paragraph or five bullet-style points, reflecting on the lesson you just taught. Note what worked well, what teachers are struggling with, and any ideas you have for the next class. This section allows you to plan lessons based on the past week's experiences.
• Lesson Plans For keeping your lesson plans in order, from the oldest one in the back to current lesson plan at the front. Keeping old lesson plans in order helps you organize new beginning sections based on previous ones.
• Songs This section of the notebook should be arranged alphabetically so you can easily flip to any song you want to lead during a class. Show your teachers how to do the same thing. By keeping these in a binder, you can add new songs to the basic GITC charts and your own charts on a weekly basis. When you begin your program, you will receive a package of song charts from GITC HQ, ready to photocopy. You can also request the charts on a floppy disk or via email to make printing more possible on your own computer. If you want to receive charts for your computer, please place a specific request with GITC that indicates the kind of computer and word processing program you use.
• Music Theory and Guitar Technology For any hand-outs you create or use that help teachers understand rhythm, melody, chords, harmony, songwriting, musical notation, or any other technical aspects of making music.
• Curriculum Planning & Brainstorming
Keep miscellaneous information about curriculum here, plus your own ideas, notes, and teacher requests for music covering specific topics or addressing the development of certain cognitive or social skills. This area is your personal thinking and creativity department. Keep everything . . . you may want to recycle or revise old ideas for future use. If you need to incorporate elements into a lesson you can open this section and browse.
• Press releases, Announcements, and Newspaper Clippings For anything you send to schools, local papers, or out to the community, as well as clippings of announcements or coverage of your program in the news.
• School District and Regional Information For any information you receive from the school district, contact sheets for schools, rules for using community space to teach classes, etc. It's helpful to keep school contact information in the back so you can find the information to reach a school without having to search.

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Your Budget

Each new program needs a minimum of $1,000.00 to get classes developed, publicized, organized, and launched for two cycles of six classes, each, or one cycle in which the guitar instruction occurs at two levels (beginning and intermediate.) This start amount covers 8 to 10 hours of paid facilitator administrative work @ $15.00 to $20.00. The administrative work includes contacting and collaborating with local school administration, teachers, music stores, and news sources, as well as enrolling teachers, negotiating for donated teaching space, and organizing guitars and supplies for the classes. The budget also allows for $60.00 of photocopying, postage, shipping, and miscellaneous office supplies. This will help you prep and photocopy song sheets and hand-outs, and get your supplies from GITC headquarters (books, straps, picks, capos, videos, and strings.) The amount also affords the guitar teacher 12 hours of GITC instruction at a basic rate of $40.00 per hour. (This rate is comparable to what a private music educator earns, and what a tenured public school teacher earns, for a single hour of teaching in many communities.)

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Contacting Prospective GITC Teachers

Once you have decided to start a regional GITC program and your funding for a series of six or more classes is secured, you'll want to let teachers know they can enroll. This can be accomplished in many ways. Here are a few suggestions to make your work easy:

1. Contact the superintendent(s) of the local school districts and tell them about the program, or send them a description. Make it clear that the program is FREE and that their teachers are not required to pay for materials. You can ask them if the district would participate in letting teachers know about the classes, and follow through with the superintendent's advice. But be aware that sending individual faxes to schools is quite time consuming, preparing hundreds of xeroxed flyers is an expense to the non-profit, and that you can chose to follow or ignore the super's advice.
2. Make contact with the local newspapers and send them a press release announcing the classes 4-6 weeks in advance of the first class. Ask the education editor to publicize the classes in the Sunday education section at least two weeks in a row. Include a number that interested teachers can call to register and ask you questions. Here is a sample press release (.doc) you might like to use, filling in your own program's vital statistics. Or you can "cut and paste" the following sample:

To: The Santa Cruz Sentinel Education Editor Date: 8/25/01 From: Guitars in the Classroom, a non-profit program of the SFFCIF Jessica Baron Turner, Program Director and Instructor

Re: Free Music and Guitar Classes for Public School Elementary Teachers

Dear Ms. Jones;

Guitars in the Classroom is a non-profit program that provides public school K-6 teachers with free music education and guitar instruction. Classes for beginners as well as intermediate level guitarists are held weekly. No musical experience is necessary. Any teacher in the county is welcome to enroll on a first come, first served basis.

Enrollment for the free weekly classes is going on now. Classes begin Monday, September 24 and will meet for 6 Monday evenings at 239 High Street in Santa Cruz. Advanced registration is required.

Teachers with very little or no guitar experience are encouraged to attend the "Newcomers" level from 5:30 to 6:30. Teachers who play guitar already (a little or a lot) and want to learn new songs and techniques for integrating music into their classrooms should sign up for the "Intermediate" level from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Teachers are encouraged to bring their own guitars. Those who need to borrow guitars may ask for a loaner. Books and supplies are provided to teachers for free by various musical merchandise manufacturers.

Anyone interested in signing up can reach the Guitars in the Classroom office at (831) 458-2239.

Would your paper be willing to run an announcement each Sunday for two to three weeks in a row so teachers can hear about the classes? We have found that a few announcements in the Education section creates so much interest in the program that classes fill up quickly. This is helpful since the beginning of the school year is such a busy time for teachers and school staffs.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to call Guitars in the Classroom at (831)458-2239, or send emails to muzikidz@primenet.com.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Jessica Turner

Bari Zwirn facilitates the pilot program in East San Diego County. She has had a wide variety of responses to attempting to publicize the program, and offers the following anecdotes as examples of what can happen and things to avoid:

• The amount of time to contact (individual) schools is huge. Most districts want you to contact the appropriate superintendent (some time here needed to gather names and numbers), then to fax the information (each time we'd start a new series).
• Some districts require that you come by to discuss the program, and didn't return calls or respond to the fax (MY district did not respond, for instance!).
• Most districts asked for enough flyers to cover their whole district (850 for La Mesa) and none would allow me access to teachers via e-mail.
• One small district (1 school) was very open and willing to put flyers in each teacher' box.
• Faxing took an inordinate amount of time, and was impossible to do for many days when I worked late, the office closed, machines were down, etc. School mail is reliable but slow. I will send faxes again, tomorrow, but cannot see doing this often. Part of what took a long time with faxes was that each required it's own cover letter, plus the flyer, plus another page I sent with more detailed description. It took over 3 hours to cover around 10 districts.
• The County Office of Education was very open and accepted a short e-mail announcement.
• I sent a short announcement to the SD Union Tribune, and to an east county newspaper, The Daily Californian. Once I asked for the Education Editor, it was simple. The UT actually ran it in the FYI section right away and I have already gotten calls; they will re-run the announcement in a few weeks.
• The editor was very interested in the program and may come by to a class and may run an interview.

Preparing Your Guitars

1. When you receive a shipment of new GITC guitars, please check them in. Find the shipping order and please send it to the GITC office.
2. Please write a serial number for each guitar on each peghead. Start each serial number with GITC followed by an indentifying sequence of 2 to 4 letters that indicate these guitars are part of your program. For example, GITC guitars in Beaverton, Oregon are labeled GITCBEV plus the number of the guitar. Then, even if you discontinue your program and the guitars are transfered to a different pilot, they will be in their own subset. Please write the numbers in gold paint pen. It looks nicer than a Sharpie.
3. If any guitar is in bad shape, please contact the GITC office with details.
4. Create an inventory sheet, perhaps on computer in a database program if possible, that states each guitar's brand, model number, size, nylon or steel string, and the GITC serial number. Then if anything "walks away" or you want to track the instruments down in a few months, you'll know what to look for.
5. Please send 2 copies of your inventory sheet to the GITC office. One will go on file there and another will go to the San Francisco Foundation Community Initiatives Fund, along with the shipping papers, so they can thank the manufacturer or organization that donated the guitars for their generosity. The inclusion of the shipping papers help us credit the books with the correct "in kind” value of the instruments.
6. If the guitars come with cases, please tastefully mark the outside of each case with the corresponding serial number for the guitar it will protect.
7. Once you get 'em tuned up, marked and logged in, you'll be ready to pass them out. Many teachers keep the guitars in locked cabinets overnight. Some schools (usually parents on the PTA) make guitar storage carts that roll and lock. Excellent plans for building a storage cart are available from the GITC office upon request.

Knowing Your Students

As a Program Coordinator (PC) and/or Guitar Instructor (GI), you’ll want to know what to expect from the teachers who sign up for guitar classes and participate in the program. There are always exceptions, but the majority of the teachers who sign up for GITC fall into one of three categories.

Absolute Beginners Many teachers will take guitar lessons ONLY if you assure them that no experience or proven talent is necessary. Nevertheless, they love music or they would not be signing up.

They may express insecurity about their singing voices.

They may doubt their abilities to lead children in song.

They may be visual learners to whom making music hasn’t come easily. This may partially explain why they are coming to music as adults. Their visual learning style means they depend on easy-to-read guitar and song charts during lessons and in between. They need visual cues, but also lots of experience making music without looking at a piece of paper. That’s how they’ll learn to trust their own musical impulses and ideas.

They may have little or no time to practice guitar between classes, and may expect more of themselves than is reasonable, given their responsibilities at work and home. So they need to know everyone is in "the same boat" and will learn together at a comfortable pace.

These teachers benefit from learning guitar in the G tuning with the SmartStart Guitar method. They may only want to be able to play three or four chord folk songs and sing songs when all is said and done. If they learn to play in G, they can show their students how to do it, too.

Learning to play guitar in standard tuning may eventually appeal to a small number of these teachers. But the majority will be grateful enough to get through simple songs in G without having to master multiple finger positions or stretch their fingers. Playing in G will give them instant gratification and set them free to enjoy making music. Learning to play in standard tuning at first would be too overwhelming and many would give up early in the process. It’s best to introduce playing in standard later in the game, and only as "an option" for people who feel ready for the change.

These teachers will want to use a capo to adjust the key, rather than learning to play with a different set of chords for each new key. Teaching them to use the capo in the first or second lesson is a good idea.

These teachers need you to:

1. Encourage them to sing without holding back. Help them warm up their voices with fun exercises at the beginning of class. Make singing a carefree experience.
2. Go go very, very slowly with guitar lessons and expect minimal progress each week. Review everything slowly, don’t lose them by pushing ahead too soon.
3. Stick to a song-based teaching approach. Teach them a new song or two with only one or two chords in it, and plenty of repetition and in-class practice every class. Singing over the root chord or an open G works well enough for the first few lessons.
4. Encourage them to come to class even if they did not play guitar at all during the week. If someone skips a class, call and tell them they were missed. Invite them to come ten minutes early for private review next time. Assure them they’ll fit right in, even if they can’t remember where their fingers belong.

Teachers Starting Over Many teachers had a little experience with playing guitar in their youths. They remember how to play some basic chords in standard tuning and one or two strums. They feel "rusty" and unprepared to play guitar with their students at school. They are looking for a refresher course.

They may express insecurity about their memory of how to play guitar.

They may doubt their abilities to lead children in song after all these years.

They may be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners who gave up making music in favor of other interests. Their love of music has lasted, which is why they are excited to have a chance to rekindle the flame.

They, too, may have little or no time to practice guitar between classes, and may expect more of themselves than is reasonable, given their responsibilities at work and home. But what they once knew will come back to them and they will move ahead quickly in your classes.

These teachers need you to:

1. Help them evaluate whether they want to start over with the G method so they can teach it. Or, join a beginning intermediate group just learning to play in standard tuning when that class is available.
2. Encourage them to bring favorite songs from the past to share in class.
3. Review everything slowly, don’t lose them by assuming they know more than they do.
4. Give them simple fingerpicking and strumming patterns to keep them sufficiently challenged while other teachers take longer to work on basic chords.
5. Teach them to transpose songs out of G so that when they are playing in a transitional group in which many teachers are still in Open G, they can play other chord forms (with their capos on) and still play in the same key as those teachers.
6. Encourage them to lead songs once in a while. Help them group count in together.
7. Listen to their tone and help them achieve better musicality.

The intermediate level folks all come in remembering 3 or 4 chords in standard and that's what they WANT to play. Some learn open tuning after the fact to pass guitars onto their students, but most hedge because they are already insecure about what they remember. I promise you'll get calls from these people saying, "I play a little in standard. Can I come anyway?"

I always explain the simplicity of G tuning and say, sure, come, we'll figure it out. Either you can learn the G method, or you can play along using a standard G chord, C chord, and D7 chord, while others strum the guitar with open tuning and compatible chords. As long as everyone capos to the same fret at the same time, it's no problem.

That’s all for now, and I’ll edit and add to this as time allows.

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