Teaching Beginning Guitar Class

Bill Swick currently teaches guitar for the twelve-time Grammy award winning Las Vegas Academy of the Arts and is the guitar task force chair for Clark County School District. Swick has served as faculty of Drake University and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Chapter One: Getting Started
I Do Not Play Guitar, Why Do I Have to Teach Guitar?
Reasons Why Music Educators May Like Teaching Guitar
Band Students Will Leave the Band to Join a Guitar Class, or Will They?
Guitar Content for the First Quarter
What Kind of Equipment is Needed for Guitar Class?
Trimming the List
No Left-Handed Guitars
A Closer Look at Quarter One Class Content
Playing with a Pick
Playing with the Thumb
Playing with Alternating Fingers
How to Place Fingers on the Fingerboard to Change Pitches

Chapter Two: Being Prepared Prior to the Start of the School Year
Making a List
Selecting a Method Book
How to Evaluate the Selected Method
Programmed Texts and Sequences
It's Time to Do the Math
Learn to Model the Content of the Method Book
Learn to Model Technique for Both Left & Right Hands
Learn to Model Posture
Learn to Make a Sound with a Pick, the Thumb and Alternate Fingers
Learn to Change a String
Learn to Tune a Guitar
Have Lesson Plans for the First Quarter
Have Handouts Ready for Printing
Know Exactly What Will Be Covered in the First Week of School
Why Give Pre-tests?
Know Exactly What Will Be Covered in the Second Week of School
Have a Curriculum Map for the Entire School Year
Prepare a Class Handbook and Have it Printed and Ready to Distribute
Check All Equipment is in Place and in Working Order
Have Chairs and Stands in Place to Match Seating Chart

Chapter Three: Organizational Ideas
Retention
Public School Structure
Structuring a Guitar Program for Longevity
The Middle School Model: The Three-Year Plan
Semester Versus Yearlong Classes
The Year-Long Model
The Semester-Long Model
Explorations
High School Models
Ideal High School Schedule
Block Schedule
Backwards Assessment
Backwards Assessment Model: Level 1 Beginning Guitar
Beginning Guitar - List View - All Objectives
Assessments
Consider the Assessment Model
Consider Using Music Prodigy
Daily Routines

Chapter Four: A Potpourri of Practical Ideas and Simple Thoughts
Slow Down!
Engage Your Students Before the Teaching Begins
Are Your Students Listening?
One Ounce of Technique
Beginners Are Not Ready to Tune a Guitar
Get Your Drums On
Learn Their Names!
The Shorter, the Better!
Collaborative Learning
Dreaming to be a Rock Star
Not All Guitar Students are Rockers
Practice Makes Permanent
New Students in January?
Make Friends with the Custodians and Counselors
Just Heard a Classical Guitar CD and Want to Learn to Play Guitar
Incorporate Ensemble Playing Early On
What is the Classroom Lifespan of a Guitar?
Ten Professional Suggestions
Ten Quick Things to Make a Guitar Class Most Successful
Advice for Teaching Beginning Guitar: Ten Things to Make Life Easier

Chapter Five: Lesson Plans, Curriculum, Objectives and Standards
Why Lesson Plans?
What is Curriculum?
Where to Find Guitar Curriculum for Each State
Beginning Guitar Course Scope and Goals
Beginning Guitar Course Structure
Standards
National Standards for Music Education

Chapter Six: Philosophy of Classroom Guitar Teaching
Learn to Play Guitar
Do Not Have Time to Learn to Play the Guitar
Observations and Experience
How Does a Guitar Class Look?
Ten Contributors to Determine How a Guitar Class May Appear
Variations of How a Guitar Class May Look
What Brings on Change?
Learning Guitar is Fun!
Teaching Guitar as a Harmonized Instrument
College Ready?

Chapter Seven: Applying the 80/20 Rule
What is the 80/20 Rule?
What Does the 80/20 Rule Have to Do with Teaching Guitar?
The Conventional Path
What to Teach and When to Teach It?
24 Hours a Day
Organizing the List
Applying the 80/20 Rule to Self-Learning

Chapter Eight: Quarter One: The Timeline
The Schoolyear is About to Start
Week One
Why Give Pre-Tests?
Eight Objectives for Beginning Guitar for Month One
Backwards Assessment Model
Parts of the Guitar Pre-test
Calendar and Timing
Guitar Body Parts-Answers
Answers to History of the Guitar Pre-test
History of Guitar Pre-test
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Common Mistake Beginniners Make in This Stage
Objectives for Month Two
Seven Objectives for Beginning Guitar for Month Two
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine

Chapter Nine: Quarter Two: The Timeline
Quarter Two Begins: Week Ten or Quarter 2, Week 1
Week Eleven: Quarter 2, Week 2
The Right Hand
Songs Using the Fourth String
Week Twelve: No Teaching November or Quarter 2, Week 3
Combining the Fourth String with Strings One, Two, and Three
Ensemble Music
Week Thirteen: Quarter 2, Week 4
Eighth Notes
Week Fourteen: Quarter 2, Week 5
Picks
Week Fifteen: Quarter 2, Week 6
Protruding Thumbs
Week Sixteen: Quarter 2, Week 7
Ensemble Playing
Sixth String
Holiday Music
Week Seventeen: Quarter 2, Week 8
Prepare for Mid-Term Exams
Week Eighteen: Quarter 2, Week 9
Last Week Before Mid-Term
Halfway

Chapter Ten: Quarter Three: The Timeline
Quarter Three Begins: Week Nineteen or Quarter 3, Week 1
Combo Series
Week Twenty: Quarter 3, Week 2
Duets
Week Twenty-One: Quarter 3, Week 3
Week Twenty-Two: Quarter 3, Week 4
Playing in 3/8 and 6/8 Time
Week Twenty-Three: Quarter 3, Week 5
Dotted Quarter/Eighth Note Rhythm
Week Twenty-Four: Quarter 3, Week 6
Chords
Eighth Notes with Alternating Picking
Duple and Triple Meters
Week Twenty-Five: Quarter 3, Week 7
Scales
Blues Form
Eighth Notes with Alternating Picking
Week Twenty-Six: Quarter 3, Week 8
ABA Song Form
Additional Materials
Week Twenty-Seven: Quarter 3, Week 9
Basic Strumming Patterns
Accidentals
End of Quarter Three

Chapter Eleven: Quarter Four: The Timeline
Quarter Four Begins: Week Twenty-Eight of Quarter 4, Week 1
Last Week of Month Seven
Canon
Key of G
Week Twenty-Nine: Quarter 4, Week 2
P-I-M-A
Week Thirty: Quarter 4, Week 3
Exploring the Guitar Neck
Moveable Major Scales
Week Thirty-One: Quarter 4, Week 4
Tuplets
Power Chords
Daily Warm-up
Week Thirty-Two: Quarter 4, Week 5
Position Playing
Second Position
First or Open Position
Fifth Position
Supplementary Materials
Week Thirty-Three: Quarter 4, Week 6
The History of the Guitar
Tuning
Improvisation
Two Octave Scales: The First Step
P-I-M-A
Week Thirty-Four: Quarter 4, Week 7
Final Exams
Two Octave Scales
Moveable Barre Chords
Participate in a Performance
Supplementary Materials
Week Thirty-Five: Quarter 4, Week 8
Relationship between Music and Other Disciplines
Musical Terms
Week Thirty-Six: Quarter 4, Week 9
Last Week of School
The Wrap Up

Chapter Twelve
Dailey Procedures
Taking Attendance
Tuning
Stretching
Warm-ups
Single Notes
Chords
Ensemble
Finger-Style
What Did We Do Today?
Course Scope for the Beginning Guitar Class
Curriculum Map
It's Summertime!