• Re: Why Guitar is not taught in schools

    From Marcelle Haubold@21:1/5 to Dicerous on Sat Oct 9 09:57:35 2021
    On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 5:57:20 PM UTC-5, Dicerous wrote:
    On Mar 27, 3:00 pm, Tashi <michaeltha...@starband.net> wrote:
    On Mar 27, 1:50 pm, "edspyhil...@yahoo.com" <edspyhil...@yahoo.com>
    wrote:



    I've been talking to several people with kids in grade school and they were telling me there are classroom lessons for most wind instruments except piano and guitar.

    I can see why piano is excluded - schools would need too many
    expensive painos and keep them tuned.

    But guitar is another matter. I'm thinking it's because all the other instruments have one basic teaching method, "classical". Guitar has multiple methods for steal string and classical guitars, methods for folk, popular, rock, jazz and classical, pick style, finger style folk and classical, etc, but not one basic (accepted) way of learning the guitar.

    Since there are people here who have direct experience with teaching children, individually and in school environments, can you comment on
    the reasons guitar is considered a one on one teacher/student taught instrument?

    Ed S.

    Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the republicans do away with the
    arts in public schools? My son has gone to school here in New Mexico
    form 1 through 12 and I don't recall ever hearing about any musical instrument being taught in public schools here.
    I did happen to find him a good guitar teacher, as well as a cello
    teacher, but it had nothing to do with the public school system.
    MT
    Did you teach him where to buy his pot?

    David
    Man what a cut. I played in bands for many years and people always assumed I was on drugs. In high school when I met the parents of the girls that I wanted to date when I said I played in a band and did not like sports they looked at me as if I was crazy.
    With short hair and my dating suit I usually convinced them I was not a drug fiend. The only things I liked about sports were the cheer leaders and playing at the dance after the football games. Keep it real dude!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Murdick@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 16 08:35:19 2021
    When I taught at the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile AL, I ran elective class in classical guitar. At first I used Shearer's book (the one that begins with P stroke) but then I wrote my own book which went slower and had more duets. The
    whole class would play the first part and I would play the more complex 2nd part. Then I wrote a bunch of trios for the class and we actually played a recital at the end of the semester. In fact, one of the staff wanted to hire the group to play at a
    party after hearing the recital of the first class I taught. Below is the book that I wrote for the class. You can buy the trio book from Mel Bay.

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/edqt3ez7xsr4xe1/AAATdF8XinmqPQs9MX08vxgea?dl=0

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Murdick@21:1/5 to ktaylor on Thu Dec 16 08:42:54 2021
    On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 11:05:02 PM UTC-5, ktaylor wrote:
    Lare wrote:

    More problematical for us is that domestic introductory grade guitar sales are way, way down. I've heard whispers that sales are off as much as 40% in 3 years. These figures include not only traditional guitar shops, but the big box sellers like Sam's Club and Costco as well. This could mean that many fewer kids are starting guitar and/or that the U.S. guitar market is saturated.

    Larry McDonald
    That's interesting. How do you know this about the decline in guitar
    sales? NAMM data?
    Have you checked with Strunal Inc? I can usually get the worldwide
    scoop from them.
    Our teachers had a banner year last year. Generated about 900 new
    students and over $1,000,000 in tutiions. I still think there are
    about twelve million potential guitar students in the US.
    If its saturated, I'm in big trouble.
    Kevin T.

    The guitar band in pop music is pretty much disappearing. Performing pop bands these days have more variety in their instrumentation, but they almost always have at least one guitar. The cost of all kinds of guitars has held up pretty well it seems.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Murdick@21:1/5 to ktaylor on Thu Dec 16 08:37:13 2021
    On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 11:05:02 PM UTC-5, ktaylor wrote:
    Lare wrote:

    More problematical for us is that domestic introductory grade guitar sales are way, way down. I've heard whispers that sales are off as much as 40% in 3 years. These figures include not only traditional guitar shops, but the big box sellers like Sam's Club and Costco as well. This could mean that many fewer kids are starting guitar and/or that the U.S. guitar market is saturated.

    Larry McDonald
    That's interesting. How do you know this about the decline in guitar
    sales? NAMM data?
    Have you checked with Strunal Inc? I can usually get the worldwide
    scoop from them.
    Our teachers had a banner year last year. Generated about 900 new
    students and over $1,000,000 in tutiions. I still think there are
    about twelve million potential guitar students in the US.
    If its saturated, I'm in big trouble.
    Kevin T.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Wollybird@21:1/5 to Murdick on Thu Dec 16 12:59:33 2021
    On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 10:42:55 AM UTC-6, Murdick wrote:
    On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 11:05:02 PM UTC-5, ktaylor wrote:
    Lare wrote:

    More problematical for us is that domestic introductory grade guitar sales
    are way, way down. I've heard whispers that sales are off as much as 40% in
    3 years. These figures include not only traditional guitar shops, but the big box sellers like Sam's Club and Costco as well. This could mean that many fewer kids are starting guitar and/or that the U.S. guitar market is saturated.

    Larry McDonald
    That's interesting. How do you know this about the decline in guitar
    sales? NAMM data?
    Have you checked with Strunal Inc? I can usually get the worldwide
    scoop from them.
    Our teachers had a banner year last year. Generated about 900 new
    students and over $1,000,000 in tutiions. I still think there are
    about twelve million potential guitar students in the US.
    If its saturated, I'm in big trouble.
    Kevin T.
    The guitar band in pop music is pretty much disappearing. Performing pop bands these days have more variety in their instrumentation, but they almost always have at least one guitar. The cost of all kinds of guitars has held up pretty well it seems.
    My guess is there are about 3 boatloads of Chinese guitars off the coast of California right now. I tried to order a baritone guitar in september, they told me it wouldn't show up until January

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Richard Jernigan@21:1/5 to Wollybird on Wed Jan 11 17:49:48 2023
    On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 2:59:35 PM UTC-6, Wollybird wrote:
    On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 10:42:55 AM UTC-6, Murdick wrote:
    On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 11:05:02 PM UTC-5, ktaylor wrote:
    Lare wrote:

    More problematical for us is that domestic introductory grade guitar sales
    are way, way down. I've heard whispers that sales are off as much as 40% in
    3 years. These figures include not only traditional guitar shops, but the
    big box sellers like Sam's Club and Costco as well. This could mean that
    many fewer kids are starting guitar and/or that the U.S. guitar market is
    saturated.

    Larry McDonald
    That's interesting. How do you know this about the decline in guitar sales? NAMM data?
    Have you checked with Strunal Inc? I can usually get the worldwide
    scoop from them.
    Our teachers had a banner year last year. Generated about 900 new students and over $1,000,000 in tutiions. I still think there are
    about twelve million potential guitar students in the US.
    If its saturated, I'm in big trouble.
    Kevin T.
    The guitar band in pop music is pretty much disappearing. Performing pop bands these days have more variety in their instrumentation, but they almost always have at least one guitar. The cost of all kinds of guitars has held up pretty well it seems.
    My guess is there are about 3 boatloads of Chinese guitars off the coast of California right now. I tried to order a baritone guitar in september, they told me it wouldn't show up until January

    There are more than 4,000 students in Austin Classical Guitar's curriculum in Austin alone. There are many more in programs around the USA, and in countries as remote as Nepal.
    https://www.austinclassicalguitar.org/spring-2022-education-report/

    RNJ

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Steven Bornfeld@21:1/5 to Richard Jernigan on Fri Jan 13 15:38:21 2023
    On 1/11/2023 8:49 PM, Richard Jernigan wrote:
    On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 2:59:35 PM UTC-6, Wollybird wrote:
    On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 10:42:55 AM UTC-6, Murdick wrote:
    On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 11:05:02 PM UTC-5, ktaylor wrote:
    Lare wrote:

    More problematical for us is that domestic introductory grade guitar sales
    are way, way down. I've heard whispers that sales are off as much as 40% in
    3 years. These figures include not only traditional guitar shops, but the >>>>> big box sellers like Sam's Club and Costco as well. This could mean that >>>>> many fewer kids are starting guitar and/or that the U.S. guitar market is >>>>> saturated.

    Larry McDonald
    That's interesting. How do you know this about the decline in guitar
    sales? NAMM data?
    Have you checked with Strunal Inc? I can usually get the worldwide
    scoop from them.
    Our teachers had a banner year last year. Generated about 900 new
    students and over $1,000,000 in tutiions. I still think there are
    about twelve million potential guitar students in the US.
    If its saturated, I'm in big trouble.
    Kevin T.
    The guitar band in pop music is pretty much disappearing. Performing pop bands these days have more variety in their instrumentation, but they almost always have at least one guitar. The cost of all kinds of guitars has held up pretty well it seems.
    My guess is there are about 3 boatloads of Chinese guitars off the coast of California right now. I tried to order a baritone guitar in september, they told me it wouldn't show up until January

    There are more than 4,000 students in Austin Classical Guitar's curriculum in Austin alone. There are many more in programs around the USA, and in countries as remote as Nepal.
    https://www.austinclassicalguitar.org/spring-2022-education-report/

    RNJ

    That's fantastic! Hope you are well, Richard!
    Happy New Year!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)