Course Description
This class is designed for students with little or no previous playing experience. Students will learn about playing guitar at a beginning level and will learn different styles, skills, and techniques. Some areas of concentration will include: reading musical notation, reading tablature, playing chords and melodies, playing with a pick and also with fingers, rhythms and strumming. The purpose is to give students skills so that when the class is over they will be able to learn and play riffs, melodies, and chords to a variety of songs.
Course Objectives
Identify parts of the guitar and strings
Develop an awareness of tuning open strings
Develop correct hand and finger position
Learn and perform basic chords and scales in first position
Perform proper chord strumming and arpeggio patterns
Read and play melodies, riffs, and chords from standard music notation and tablature
Develop technique for performing melodies, riffs, and chords in a variety of musical styles

Learning to Play Guitar
Learning any musical instrument takes intentional effort and time. Knowing what to do is important, but students need to train their fingers to move to specific locations on the guitar; this can feel very awkward for those who have never played guitar before. Knowing where to put your fingers for a chord might be simple, but getting your fingers to move to those places is a completely different challenge. This improves with repetition: the more an action is repeated, the easier it gets.
Anyone can learn to play guitar if they are willing to learn and practice. But it is important to remember that any physical skill takes time and repetition to become more skilled and faster.
Materials
The main method book used in this course is the Hal Leonard Guitar Method by Will Schmid and Greg Koch. It is not required for students to buy this book, but it would be beneficial is students could purchase this book for their own so they can practice ahead, and continue to develop their skills in the future after the class is over. Additional written music and handouts will be provided by the teacher. Students are responsible for supplying their own guitar picks and replacing broken strings. Students should also have a pencil in class and a folder to keep music and handouts.
Grading
A student’s grade will be determined by three categories: classroom activities, assignments, and assessments, each being worth approximately 30% of the quarter grade (depending on the number of assignments and assessments for that quarter).
The classroom activities grade includes participating in group warm-ups and musical exercises, being on task during activities, completing in-class mini-assignments, and following directions for activities. Students will receive a separate grade for each week of activities.
Graded assignments will include some reading and some written work; guitar playing assignments include demonstrating a single chord, note, or scale for the teacher.
Assessments will be both written and performance. For performing tests, students will demonstrate a skill, melody, chord, chord pattern, or song they have been practicing in class.
All students will be given adequate class time to practice for performance tests and will be appropriate for their skill level, and students will be allowed to retake some of the assessments if they feel they could improve on their performance.
Classroom Rules
Students need to respect the teacher, the other students, and the equipment they use.
Students breaking strings or damaging any school equipment may be held responsible to pay for any damage they cause. Interrupting instruction is disrespectful to the teacher and interferes with other students’ opportunity to learn, actions will be taken to stop this behavior and possibly remove the student from the classroom if necessary.

The Band Room
The guitar class is held in the band room. There will be percussion instruments in the back of the room, and any students playing with any band equipment will receive immediate consequences.
What to Expect In Class
Guitar class will involve some written work, instructional time where students are quiet and watch/listen to presentations, time to tune the guitars, group practice where all students play the same exercise or song, and individual instruction where students are given a task or something to practice and the teacher helps individual students throughout the room while others are expected to work independently on the task given.
Students will have a few minutes at the beginning of class to get their guitar out of the case, put their music and handouts on a music stand and get ready to play. Generally, in each class there will be a group warm up, teacher instruction, demonstrations of melodies and techniques, group practice and some individual practice time. Students will be given a few minutes at the end of class to put away their materials and get ready to leave for their next class.
Communication
Parents and students may contact the instructor by email at gadam@kyrene.org
or by phone at
480-541-6712

Guitar Handbook Contract
I have read and discussed the handbook with my parents/guardian and fully understand the procedures and information pertaining to the guitar class at Kyrene Middle School. I understand that my actions will be held accountable and discipline and rewards will be administered in a fair, thought-out manner by the instructor. I will be held responsible for any damage caused to school equipment or to the equipment of another student. I will do my best to follow these procedures and make my experience with the guitar program positive and productive.
Print Student Name ___________________________________________
Student Signature ___________________________________________ Date _____________
Parent/Guardian Signature ____________________________________ Date _____________