| Guitars in the Classroom: Reinventing the Music System in US Schools Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) is a humble non-profit that gets back to the root of sharing music. GITC has over 1,000 guitars in circulation around the U. S. He said, 'Done'. GITC is also supported by other music manufacturing companies, merchandising businesses and philanthropic foundations including The NAMM Foundation, GAMA (Guitars and Accessories Marketing Association), Guitar Center Charitable Giving, Fender Music Foundation and more.
Presently, training programs are active in 19 states. There are 46 teacher trainers holding classes up to 24 teachers each. As such, a single group of teachers in a class reaches about 2,300 students within eight weeks. But with schools' funding partially dependent on standardized test results, many teachers are now being pressured to teach to the test and programs that don't directly focus on acquiring test based information are sometimes thrown to the wayside. Baron adds. Many colleges long ago stopped requiring students majoring in Education to take a course in basic classroom music. "Music and all of the arts boost student engagement in school and build critical abilities that lead to academic success," she says. Founded in 1998, GITC provides free integrated music making to over 800,000 students annually. No musical experience is necessary to participate and succeed. Infusing academic lessons with music makes learning a more creative, successful and unforgettable experience for students and creates musical access for every child. GITC empowers teachers to pick up the guitar, and bring musical learning right into the regular classroom.
Enter: laidback folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician Jack Johnson. Everyone wins.
Donations keep Guitars in the Classroom afloat. Events, festivals and contests are plentiful during December on the North Shore of Oahu. "Manufacturers are making a tremendous difference in the schools - a Nashville company called Samick Music Corp, makers of Greg Bennett guitars, recently donated 100 guitars to the cause," Baron says. Our role with the YMCAs is to help them and their programs in the school, and they will help us reach out to more teachers. , and many others contribute instruments to GITC's guitar recycling program in which teachers can borrow an instrument while they learn to play, then return it to GITC when they are ready to purchase their own. so new teachers can learn to play each year. "Sadly, classroom pianos have gone the way of the stegosaurus, and regular daily singing has become an endangered species," says Baron. GITC has offered teacher training in 31 states. John Hawkins, Treasurer for the Board of Directors of Guitars in the Classroom is the Division Vice President and General Manager of Samick Music Corporation in Gallatin, TN where he oversees marketing and manufacturing. "When I asked John if he wanted to help the YMCA, he said, 'Sure, what do you need?'" Baron recalls. . Guitars in the Classroom: Reinventing the Music System in US Schools |
Monday, 4 June 2012
Guitars in the Classroom: Reinventing the Music System in US Schools
