Guitar Class
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CWHS Guitar Program Receives National Recognition
In August 2019, the Canal Winchester High School Guitar Program was featured in the National Association for Music Education Journal. They were doing a series of articles on Guitar Education around the nation. We were asked to represent Ohio in the series. Check it out!
https://nafme.org/guitar-class-buckeye-state/#respond
Canal Winchester High School offers both Beginning and Advanced Guitar Courses. Each year we have over 50 students participating in the program. The vast majority of these students have little to no formal music training before joining class. The Department is committed to creating excellence in Music Education using the Academic Content Standards laid down by the Ohio Department of Education.
The students study the three major approaches to the guitar: Chording, Tablature, and Standard Notation. Each student will be assessed by written work and weekly Skill Tests that include: chord progressions, scales, picking patterns and songs. Literature is drawn from a variety of different genres including: Pop, Rock, Classical, Bluegrass and Jazz. As with any music instrument, there is no short cut to success.
2022-23 Guitar Class Syllabus, Class Rules and Grading Policy
All students will need to commit themselves to practicing the assignments outside of class time. School-owned guitars are available for student use. Students will be held completely responsible for the care of the school owned instrument. By returning the completed Canal Winchester Performing Arts Department Information card the student and parent understand the responsibilities of being a member of the CWHS Guitar class.
By the end of the Beginning Guitar class, the students are expected to be proficient in all Open Chords, 1st Position Scales-C, G, D, F, 6th String Pentatonic and 5th String Pentatonic, Basic Rhythms and Simple Duple and Triple Time Signatures. The students are also expected to be able to create and perform a simple solo for a Blues in E.
By the end of the Advanced Guitar class, the students are expected to be proficient in all Significant Bar Chords with 4th, 5th and 6th String Roots, 6th String Root Movable Major Scale, 5th String Movable Root Major Scale, a Significant Number of Movable and Jazz Chords with 4th, 5th and 6th String Roots, and Intermediate Level Rhythms and Time Signatures. The students are also expected to be able to create and perform intermediate level solos to Popular, Bluegrass and Jazz songs.
Please be aware, students with longer fingernails may have significant problems completing certain required skills. While you may not want to trim them, you need to understand that your class grade is determined by your ability to perfom the assigned skills.
Are you thinking about a career in Music?
Practice files, accompaniments and Graded Homework Assignments can be found on the Guitar Class Resources page.
Check out these sites for on-line music Theory and Guitar lessons. You'll find great lessons from beginning to advanced on Technique, Music Theory, Chords, Scales and Musicianship.
Practice your soloing with Backing Tracks.
Need a Metromone to work on your tempos? Try this website, Metromone Online.
Need a copy of our classroom Guitar Book?
Parents are encouraged to subscribe to the
