A variety of ways to learn to play the guitar
Most American youths at one time or another want to take guitar music lessons. This instrument is undoubtedly the most famous instrument in the world with little wonder. Today, when we think of music, we think of a band of guitar players strumming happily and crooning while shoulders bounce to the rhythm of a set of drums. The guitar is truly a symbol of the youth and vigor of America, indelibly marked in the American consciousness since Elvis Presley and B.B. King, and is poised to remain the symbol of the young for generations to come.
With the guitar having such an appeal, American youth continue to flock to teachers and musicians offering guitar music lessons at schools, youth centers, and private homes. There is no better teacher to give guitar music lessons then, well, a teacher, some person who can instruct, observe, correct and lead the music student as she makes her way to musical adeptness. Unfortunately, most public schools do not give guitar music lessons, but continue to concentrate on those instruments typically found in a marching band. Out of touch for nearly a century now, our elementary and high schools still hold to the philosophy that music should be for marching, not for appreciation. Having a rascally reputation, the guitar has not gained proponents among our music teachers who seem to have been convinced by Plato that anything not leading to the glorification of the state has no place in the education of the young. Despite the appropriation of the guitar by the classical genre, guitar music lessons are still not regarded as a legitimate means of introducing the young to the soul shaping power of music and, as a result, many young who might otherwise have gone on to develop a love of the classics, have neglected what musical potential lies in their own grasp.
If you are in a position to influence the music curriculum at your school, for the sake of music, convince your board to offer the guitar as an instrument appropriate for the transmission of our musical cultural heritage. Much of it, whether we like it or not, involves the guitar.