The Fall semester is so dynamic and full of change. From the first moments meeting your new students, to the growth opportunities and challenges that teachers experience everyday. Witnessing our teaching partners thoughtfully adapt to the needs of their students brings us so much joy. We are also adapting based on feedback from our community and are constantly creating new materials to address your input. Here’s what’s new on GuitarCurriculum.
A Desert Thought is an exploration of the creativity and imagination that can blossom from a moment of solitude, when the world quiets down and you're completely present with your thoughts. Although it’s a level 4 piece, primarily in 1st position, easy rote patterns are included in upper positions to extend the range of the ensemble.
Presence Of was written for our 2023 National Teachers Summit in Austin, TX. Our teaching community represents a range of education and guitar experience, and the flexibility of this arrangement allowed for all of our teaching partners at the summit to offer their artistry and musicianship. Presence Of asks the question, “What is present in this moment for you?”, and encourages the performers to name the piece based on their answer. Find it on our Special Projects page.
While you’re checking out our Special Projects, be sure to take a look at Ofrendas. It’s a beautiful opportunity to engage students in an asynchronous, short-term, multimedia project in celebration of the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions through music and thoughtful expressions of joy and loss. We’ve had very powerful moments with our young learners through this project. Let us know if you’d like any additional help or guidance to get started.
We hope that our materials are inspiring joy and discovery in your learning spaces, and if you have had an experience that you’d like to share, we’re always open to hearing from you. We especially love classroom videos, feel free to share!
Phil Swasey
Director of Curriculum and Partnerships