Several issues ago we published the first article announcing the GFA pre-college guitar education initiative. Since then we have received many responses with helpful information as well as much cooperation. For all of this, we are grateful.

The Education Committee has been gathering information and developing strategies to promote accredited pre-college classical guitar education. We have launched a section on the GFA website (www.guitarfoundation.org/education) to connect the pre-college teacher and student with potential resources. We will also have a regular feature in Soundboard. The following article is the first in this series. There is much more to come, so please stay tuned.

Gregg Goodhart
Director of Pre-College Education Programs

Pre-College

Classical Guitar Education: Why?

by Gregg Goodhart

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The twentieth century saw an exponential growth in post-secondary classical guitar education. This was due to the work of guitarists who saw that the instrument could demonstrate worthiness as a vehicle for serious art music alongside the other accepted classical instruments. However, for some reason, the classical guitar did not enter the pre-college curriculum as other instruments have. Consequently, most of those curious about guitar have had to expend serious effort on their own to seek out instruction of various levels of quality in unaccredited environments. Many of these students are attracted to the guitar by ‘popular' styles and, though talented and dedicated, do not, through little fault of their own; prepare themselves properly for the next level of study. This results in a situation that requires retraining to commence such study, or worse, an exclusion from classical guitar programs that do not offer such remedial study. In the end a great many talented individuals who might contribute to our field in many ways and enrich their lives are never given a chance to investigate or realize their true potential.

The absence of our instrument from not only high school programs but from interaction with, and support of, other musicians and music lovers does not bode well for our future. These current divisions that exist were not nearly as pronounced during much of the second half of the twentieth century. This is evidenced by the welcoming of the guitar into hundreds and hundreds of college and conservatory music programs during that time. However, the trickle down effect never occurred. This division is most apparent at the high school level.

So then why should we be concerned with this? Indeed, perhaps the very future of our instrument as a vehicle for serious art music is at stake. But other and more immediate issues exist:

The Greater Social Good

It is a fact that most talented, motivated students are not able to pursue classical guitar education in a school setting. While some, sometimes through great personal effort, are able to locate and pursue competent pre-college guitar education, most are never even exposed to this possibility.

Also, how many worthwhile artists are out there waiting for their big break in popular music? Had they had the chance that other instrumentalists do in high school (that is the ability to pursue education on their instrument in a structured and ‘college prep' environment) would they not have a better foundation off of which to build a career? Does the educational establishment believe that, unlike most other instruments, classical guitarists are to know their destiny at a young age and then convince their parents to find and finance personal instruction? The truth is that many young people discover their talents and callings through experiments in high school such as joining orchestra and band.

Personal Enrichment and Participation

The guitar can serve as the gateway to a world of music many would not discover otherwise. Today there is an ever-decreasing audience for what we might call art music. The worth of such music is obvious, but getting most young people in many of today's cultures to consider this, is hard to nearly impossible. But the incredible popular appeal of the guitar can serve as a bridge to this music.

This popularity also serves as powerful recruiting tool. If given an option as a fine arts class, some students will choose to study classical guitar. Data collected so far shows an approximate average of 8% enrollment in schools ranging from 750-4000 students. At least some, if not most, of these high enrollment numbers can be attributed to the simple fact that the instrument is a guitar. Another motivating aspect for students is that they know that once they complete the class they will be able to basically operate a guitar in any style they choose.

At the very least, every student would leave the class with some appreciation for guitar performance. From among those students some will become enchanted with the guitar. They will want to go on to further study at the school or privately. To these students, many of whom would not have considered art music, classical guitar, or guitar performance as worthy of their time, we will have given a great gift. We will have given this gift to the field of the guitar as well in the form of more educated appreciators and consumers of the instrument.

A recent survey taken of 63 students participating in beginning guitar classes in an accomplished high school classical guitar program indicates the potential impact. The survey showed that only 1 student (1.5%) indicated he would have sought out classical guitar instruction outside of the school program (from a friend). Twenty-six students (41%) indicated they had played other styles of guitar before the class but would not have played classical guitar outside of the program.

There were 36 students (57%) who indicated they did not play guitar at all before taking the beginning class. Sixteen of these students (25% of the class enrollment) indicated they may have learned to play the guitar outside of school with answers from, "A little bit at my friends house," to, "Possibly," to, "Yes." Even more startling is the amount of students who would not have learned to play guitar, any guitar at all, without the class: Twenty students were in this category (32% of the total enrollment). Just consider the impact on our discipline if there were as many guitar programs in high schools as band and orchestra.

Perhaps the most encouraging statistic is the one showing the amount of people who indicated they will continue to play classical guitar. Forty-one students (65%) responded that they would continue to play whether that meant going on to the advanced class or just on their own for personal enjoyment.

The 63 students that comprised this survey come from a school with approximately 750 students. Obviously we could double and triple these numbers for similarly larger schools.

Out of these students will emerge the few who become dedicated enough to study the instrument at the collegiate level. So a program such as this can be the road to college for many who may have otherwise pursued guitar through popular commercial channels. And after graduation, whether the student goes into the field of music or uses that degree to secure employment in another field, he or she is much better off than had they tried to play the lottery of "making it" in a popular band at the expense of attending college..

While some of these arguments can be made in favor of studying any instrument, none other has anything close to the current popular appeal of the guitar. And while the nexus between the guitar's popularity and guitar scholarship is largely unexploited at the pre-college level, nonetheless, it is one we should exploit for the betterment of our field and of our society.