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Fellowship Paper
I begin by feeling the nylon strings beneath my fingers. My guitar, which is not a fan of the cold air, grumbles with disgust. I do it a favor; I tune it and begin with a few short arpeggios (right hand exercises) and scales. Both the guitar and my hands begin to warm up. It feels like a good time to try some Bach. As I start the piece, I'm reminded of why I am here, at school, at such a painfully early hour. Sure enough, like clockwork, Scott enters the room. A dedicated and talented musician, Scott has agreed to meet before school for his weekly guitar lesson. "Good morning, Gene. How you doin?" he asks in his charming Massachusetts accent. "Doing well, Scott. How are you?" I reply. "Good. I had a little trouble with the Bach though," he states with a slight hesitation. "Okay, why don't you have a seat and warm up a bit. Then we'll see what the problem is." Scott spends some time running through the various exercises we have been working on. In order to build his technique I've given him a healthy diet of right and left hand technical exercises. After his brief warm up session Scott prepares for his performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude for Lute in D minor (BWV 999). This is the most difficult piece we have worked on so far, and it has been a challenge for him to learn. As he begins the piece I notice his tempo is erratic. It seems to occur at the last sixteenth note of the first beat in every measure. As I watch Scott's right hand I realize the problem. It is the same mistake I made myself when first learning this piece. I can hear the voice of my first classical guitar teacher, the great Sulaiman Zai, ringing in my ear. "Why is that note so off and accented?" he asks. "What are you doing wrong?" Sulaiman was a big fan of the Socratic method and a great inquisitor. When Scott finishes the piece I begin the process of guiding him towards some answers to his problem. "Why don't you play it again and listen carefully." I admonish. "What's wrong with the piece?" Scott starts to play and begins to think about the problem. "My left hand is too tense?" he states. "No, it's actually doing fine." "I am not playing loud enough?" "Well, that could improve, but that's not what I noticed. Listen to the way I play it. I'll play the way it's written and then how you are playing it. What do you notice?" I play both versions and wait patiently. Scott looks at the ceiling, appears to be consulting it as he thinks about my question. "Won't this guy just tell me the answer!" he must be thinking. "The rhythm is different." he replies. "Exactly! And why is that happening? What is your right hand doing?" As he begins to play I see a light turn on. He looks up with a half embarrassed smile. "My a (right hand ring) finger is curling above the string." "Right! And because it's not in a relaxed position to find the string, your finger is rushing down and playing this note too loudly and quickly. This is the reason you're accenting this note." This has been a recurring problem for Scott, and after the revelation, I give him some technical exercises to address it. Then we begin to discuss what he plans to do in his musical interpretation of the piece as a whole.
May 1998
Today is my last lesson with the maestro. Although I feel somewhat saddened by my departure, I look forward to moving on to the next phase of my life. I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania to enter their Master of Science program in Secondary Education. My goal is to become a certified history teacher and start a classical guitar program in a public high school. As I begin my day, I take pleasure in the routines of my Italian life. I cross the street and enter my favorite café. The bartender, who is an avid Inter Milan soccer fan, looks a little depressed after their disappointing loss to Juventos. He is still kind enough to prepare me the best cappuccino in the entire city of Milan. After I get my daily copy of International Herald Tribune, I begin my short walk to the conservatory. I enter my practice room and observe a rare treat. The clear day (Milan is notoriously smoggy) allows me to catch site of the Italian Alps. They are beautiful, an inspiration. I begin with a few warm up exercises, then begin to run through the repertoire for today's lesson. Later that morning I meet with Mr. Minella. A tall, slender man, he is a very kind and warm as well as one of the greatest guitar virtuosos of his generation. As we prepare for our lesson (in Italian), Mr. Minella asks about my weekend excursion. Fresh from my trip to Venice, I am still in the dreamlike state. We exchange some of our favorite Venetian experiences along with a few jokes. At this point he asks, "Cosa suona per me oggi?" What are you playing for me today? Today I have chosen to play the Prelude in E major by the great Mexican composer Manuel Ponce technically demanding with fast scales and arpeggios, and beyond my reach a year ago. After I perform the piece, I wait for the maestro's comments. "Too bad you can't stay longer." He smiles with a little sadness in his voice. "You have come a long way and are starting to play very well. If we only had more time." I understand what he means. I came to Milan after completing my Master's of Music in Classical Guitar Performance. Although I had a good foundation I knew there was still much to learn. Mr. Minella taught me to look at the guitar in a totally different light. He is a lyrical player, getting a beautiful tone and melodic sustain out of the instrument. This is very difficult to do and requires a lot of vibrato and fluidness. At first, I struggled to incorporate his technique; it was new to me. I had to take a few steps back before I could move forward and must admit to some discouraging moments. I had made great strides, and at the very end, right before I left, I had reached a new level of guitar playing. But I knew I was just scratching the surface; Minella's feeling was that if I could stay another two to three years and really develop this technique I would have a complete grasp of his method. But my time was up; I needed to return to the United States. As we said our good-byes I thanked Mr. Minella for everything he had done for me. Not only was he my teacher, he was also my friend. His family had become my second family, inviting me over for dinner on Sunday afternoons and always welcoming me in their home. "Hopefully, we will see each other again soon. Remember what you learned and continue practicing." He said. As I flew back to the United States I wondered
if and when I would return to Milan. Would I decide not to attend Penn and
return to continue my studies and go for a performance career? Would I venture
back as a tourist? Would I ever return at all?
To provide each student with an education which fosters initiative, critical thinking, leadership, team work, and communication; to promote life skills for individual achievement in education, career, community, and life; and to disseminate our model of education across Massachusetts. (Final Charter Application for the South Shore Charter School 1994, 5) In August of 1999 I joined the staff of the South Shore Charter School (SSCS) and began the Classical Guitar Project the following year. In the Classical Guitar Project, students learn the art of classical guitar performance along with music theory, Italian language skills, guitar literature, and concert promotion. The students have the opportunity to travel to Milan, Italy to study with the legendary classical guitarist Aldo Minella. Students need not have musical experience to participate. The project addresses two specific needs. First, although the guitar is extremely popular with young people, few people today, young or old, musicians or not, are aware of the history and beauty of classical guitar. This is due mostly to a lack of exposure. Guitar, given its popularity with young people, is a wonderful way to introduce children to classical music because the instrument is familiar and accessible. Most of the students in the Classical Guitar Project at SSCS learned guitar initially on their own in order to play popular music. After being exposed to classical guitar music and composers, they became very excited about learning to play classical pieces. What's more, as part of the project, older students expose younger students to classical guitar. Second, many classical guitar teachers feel that classical guitar students lack exposure to lessons and performance experience during their formative years, exposure that students who play other instruments often enjoy through school-based orchestra, band, and lessons. Having a classical guitar program within the high school curriculum allows the guitar students a venue in which to improve their playing and performing. As part of the project, students play for each other, for the instructor, for the instructors of the master classes, and for the school community and the local community. The long-term goals of the Classical Guitar
Project are to: Students in the project receive bi-monthly private lessons. Here they build on their learning and improve on various aspects of classical guitar performance. The lessons address the specific technical and interpretive problems the individual students are encountering. The study of graded technical and interpretive repertoire continues over a period of years, depending on the student's continued involvement in the project. Providing yearly learning and improvement allows the student a conservatory approach to classical guitar. Students study guitar literature and music history and as a result obtain a better understanding of the composers, time periods, and pieces they may be studying. Study takes place on a weekly basis. As the year progresses, students take what they have learned and incorporate it into presentations made to primary school students. During their project time, students also organize and promote a series of concerts and master classes given by visiting guitar masters. The concerts are open to the public, with a small admissions fee; the students promote the concerts in the southeastern Massachusetts area. Finally, to reinforce what they have learned
about world culture, students have an opportunity to travel to Italy to
attend classical guitar workshops and tour locally. Students who meet the
requirements travel to Milan, Italy to study with Aldo Minella, my friend
and teacher. Students prepare all year for this trip by learning the repertoire
needed to perform at a master class level. The opportunity to study with
a legendary guitar master raises the bar and gives the students a tangible
and important goal. Also, the students study basic Italian language and
culture to prepare for this trip, which takes place in the last quarter
of the school year. In addition, students participating in the project provide guitar lessons for the students at our primary school. We have found that the younger children often respond more to secondary students than they do to adults. The children view the older students, who become very effective role models, as part of their generation. They look up to the teenagers because they feel teens know what is "cool" and help set the trends in popular culture. Project participants also provide lessons to
students (both younger and older) in the community at large. Lessons are
offered after school, and the small fees charged go towards the travel funds
that each secondary student must raise for the trip to Italy. The students in the Classical Guitar Project accomplish this in several ways. First, they are responsible for presentations to younger children at the SSCS Primary School that tie into what the children are studying. If they are successful, they may offer to do similar presentations at other area schools. Second, they offer individual guitar lessons to primary school children and other interested people from the community. To recruit possible students, they perform for different audiences such as the Board of Trustees and Secondary School Graduation attendees; they also perform at various community events in the South Shore area. Third, they organize several concerts and public
master class by a visiting guitar masters. As an additional benefit, the
students learn some basics about concert production as they promote these
concerts through a number of channels. These include the Boston Classical
Guitar Society, the South Shore Conservatory and its Outreach Program to
public and parochial schools, and the newspapers serving the communities
from which the South Shore Charter School draws students. The proceeds from
the nominal admissions fee for these concerts goes towards travel expenses
and community service work. Project-based learning is a key element in the SSCS Charter. Students are graded in the Classical Guitar Project, as they are in other projects, and they must receive a passing grade in order to advance to the next grade and level. Student performance in the project are assessed by the Instructor/Leader according to the following criteria: 40% Lessons,
Presentations and Performances The specific activities are as follows: Individual Guitar Instruction for Project Participants: Project participants receive individual half hour lessons on a bi-monthly basis. By arranging lessons before or after school on their "off weeks," students have the opportunity to receive weekly lessons. They use a sign up list to select their before and after school times. Studio Master Classes: A master class is a public performance and lesson. The student and project leader work in front of the other project members and give them a sense of the problems that may arise in a performance situation (such as memory slips, nervous "cold" hands, and general performance anxiety). These master classes take place monthly. Project Planning and Preparation Time: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the school year, students have 4.5 hours of project time during which they practice together, prepare presentations, organize primary school visits, concerts, and fundraisers, and plan their visit to Italy. They divide up this work among several committees. Primary School Visits: Teams of two to three students prepare presentations for the primary school; they are given an outline of the social studies curriculum, so they can plan presentations relevant to what the primary school students are learning. Other Community Presentations: Students do similar presentations to community groups at the Senior Center and at local public libraries, for example--as community service and as a way to promote interest in the guitar lessons they offer. The students also organize an open microphone style coffee house at which any member of the community may sign up to perform. The coffee house enables the community and students to share their love of the arts. Student Teaching: Once students have reached a level of proficiency, they begin to offer guitar lessons to individuals, young and old, from the community. Students charge $7.00 per half hour lesson. The money raised goes toward their trip to Milan, Italy. Students have been contracted by the South Shore Conservatory's Arts Partners program to teach a group of younger students after school. Several faculty members have also scheduled guitar lessons with the students. This creates a very interesting role reversal--student becomes teacher and teacher becomes student. Public Master Classes and Concerts by Masters: The 2000-2001 concert brought Sulaiman Zai, former guitar instructor of the Indiana University School of Music and director of the Zai Academy of Guitar in Bloomington, IN. The students organized the concert at the South Shore Arts Center and master class (which, unfortunately, was cancelled due to bad weather). Concerts are scheduled each year and are dependent upon outside grant funding. There is a grant writing committee of students responsible for this task International Study in Milan, Italy: The trip to Milan occurs at the end of the third quarter of the Academic Year (late March or early April). In order to be eligible for this trip students must be in good standing. This includes passing all first semester academic courses, no suspensions within the last 9 months, and successful participation in the project with a minimum of 70% attendance for lessons and overall project time (see Appendix for full listing of requirements). Also, in order to participate in lessons with Mr. Minella, students must have two pieces memorized at a performance level. Exhibition of Mastery: This is a bi-yearly event serving a dual role. First, it is a requirement for class credit (20% of the final grade for the project) and must be done at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Also, it is a public performance and presentation on what the student has learned in the Classical Guitar Project. The exhibition is presented to a panel consisting of the student's teachers, peers, and mentors, and an individual from outside the school. Using specific criteria all members of the panel evaluate the exhibition.
The first obstacle is available space. As a small charter school on the South Shore of Massachusetts we deal with very cramped quarters, which makes it difficult to provide students with a private practice area. Students often have to share practice space; the distractions sometimes make it difficult for them to focus and cause breaks in their concentration. Time is also an issue; there's not enough of it. Currently, the project meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:15 to 3:00. I am able to give private half hour lessons to two students on each of these days. Because the project involves twelve students, six receive lessons one week and six the next. Although students receive lessons twice a month with the option of weekly lessons (scheduled before or after school), this is not ideal. For maximum improvement and growth, a weekly lesson, preferably at a consistent time, is essential. Obtaining funding for the project (for the purchase of equipment, for example) has also been a challenge. Although the school has been very supportive, we have limited resources. The students have been very dedicated and have contributed much time to help, raising funds through various activities. These activities include concerts, coffeehouses, raffles, a walkathon, and creating and selling crafts such as draft dodgers (sand filled cloth tubes to keep cold air out around doors). The school invested in six nylon string guitars which students may use, but it still needs to invest in accessories such as metronomes and music stands. The project will be applying to the D'Addario
Foundation for a grant to help promote the two master classes and
concerts for the 2001-2002 season. Other possible funding sources include
the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and Folgers and Grammy Foundation's
Wakin' up the Music program. Two aspects of this innovation are especially transferable to other public schools--the entrepreneurial element and the focus on international studies. In the Classical Guitar Project students are responsible for promoting a major concert and master class, organizing coffeehouse open microphones, and teaching other interested members of the community. These activities raise revenue for concert promotion and international study. By having this incentive the students have a vested interest in the success of these events. They realize the importance of delivering a quality product and work diligently to achieve this. The international study and opportunity to study with a world renowned classical guitar performer and teacher also raise the standard. The possibility of travel and study in Italy gives the students a tangible goal. In order to accomplish it, they have to devote themselves not only to raising money but also to preparing repertoire to perform. They realize when they are doing well and when they have not done enough. Once in Milan they reap the benefits, and enjoy the culmination, of their hard work. In classes in Italy, the students are able to reflect upon their level of proficiency. Even the beginners gain a strong enough foundation to profit from the instruction. The model can be adapted by any public school in which a teacher has a strong passion for an area of study. There are various international organizations from which to choose. Usually, a person who has a powerful interest in a subject already has a solid grasp of the possibilities in the international community. Once the project is created students will identify with it and use all means necessary to help achieve success. In my experience, the higher the goals, the more students will rise to the occasion, and even if they fall a bit short, they will have still worked hard and achieved much.
Through the students' eyes I was able to recall just how special my own Italian adventure had been. In their own way, the students lived my earlier experience. They were dazzled by Mr. Minella's virtuosity and warmed by his kindness. They were awed by Milan and entranced by Venice. Three years before, when I returned from my extended study in Italy, I had a nagging doubt: Would I be able to pursue classical guitar teaching? The answer to that, I know now, is "yes." My doubt has been replaced by an overwhelming feeling of grace. I could not have dreamed of a better experience to share with this group of students. * * * In recent years, the educational community and private sector have realized the important role music study plays in children's cognitive development and in the development of self-esteem. It is for this reason that partnerships such as Folgers and the Grammy Foundation's Wakin' up the Music are providing support for music programs nationwide. I had a dream to create a classical guitar program within a public high school. I was not sure how the program would work, but as I've watched students grow, I've come to realize why it is important. Beginning students come to see that with effort, they can play a simple melody. As they advance and the music becomes a bit more complex, they began to say, "I really need to practice. My tone is not good today," or "I realize what practicing means now." The Classical Guitar Project teaches students the importance of setting goals and achieving them. They come to realize that the music they play is their own interpretation. This is the most powerful revelation of all. About the Author
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