by Glen McCarthy | Mar 5, 2016 | Classroom, Education, Gear, News, Principles, Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
“Show me what you know” I’ve spent 4 weeks showing students where to put their fingers on the guitar and how to make sounds on this 6 string instrument. They learned to play the Em, G7 and C chords, single notes on the first 2 strings, reading on the staff and...
by Glen McCarthy | Feb 28, 2016 | Classroom, Education, Gear, News, Principles, Stories, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
Break was a hit! I was sick on the couch for most of the week. I’m sure some little sweetie forgot to wash his/her hands before sharing their germs with me on an instrument, door handle or hand hold. I did get a chance to sneak in a little trip to Barcelona, Spain for...
by Glen McCarthy | Feb 17, 2016 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
Week 3 (sort of)… Elementary Guitar Unit As I told you I teach 4 classes of 5th grade during the week. Well, last Tuesday school let out early and tomorrow our 5th grade will not be attending specials because they will participate in Wax Works. Of course this means...
by Glen McCarthy | Feb 15, 2016 | Classroom, Education, News, Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
A lot of Elementary school teachers ask me if they should teach classroom guitar. The answer I give them is a definitive, “Heck Yeah!”. If you’re one of those teachers who doubts whether guitar could be used effectively in your music classroom,...
by Glen McCarthy | Feb 7, 2016 | Classroom, Education, News, Principles, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
This week’s main goals are: • Teach 2 new chords • Have students be able to change chords in a song • Strum up and down • Compose using 3 main chords. “Guitar again?” The line leader grins as she comes through the door. All the kids seem excited to come in and have...
by Glen McCarthy | Sep 17, 2015 | Classroom, Education, Gear, News, Principles, Stories, Tips + Tricks, Uncategorized
1. My guitar doesn’t have a button for a strap at the top of the body. What can I do/recommend to students with a similar setup? Installing strap buttons is a lot easier than you think it might be. But, if you’re not comfortable, your local music store should be able...
