High School Guitar: Building a Successful Four-Year Program

Virginia Boyle, Rhode Island College

Abstract

High School Guitar: Building a Successful Four-Year Program is an instructional text written for teachers who wish to develop or extend a guitar program at the high school level. It includes anecdotal experiences and teaching practices from the successful guitar program built at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol, RI over the past twenty years. Information about starting a guitar program is provided, and class content and curriculum development for each of the four years of high school guitar instruction are discussed. In addition, ideas about developing and maintaining a classical guitar performance ensemble at the high school level are included.