EDUCATION AND LESSON PLAN

Rough Draft, as we will adapt and adjust as needed per student and as we rollout

Small Abstract

Though standards might not be the best way to approach all of academia, we should have some way of gauging the levels of the students’ skill, and using that to dictate the focus of the lessons, while maintaining the interest of the instrument by including songs and skills the students want to learn, themselves. So most lessons should have up somewhere between half (10 minutes) to two-thirds (20 minutes) of the lesson in the academic world, while the rest of the lesson is fun with the instrument. The goal of the lessons being planned this way is to:

1. Keep the student interested by teaching songs the student knows.
2. Expand the students’ knowledge of-and expose the student to-classical and jazz (the academic side of the lessons).
3. Work on technique on the academic side to make sure the student is playing in a way that will ensure the health of their hand and arms long-term.

Levels

Level 1

This is the most basic level. Students at this level aren’t necessarily learning classical or jazz. They’re mostly just learning technique, and trying to navigate to the point where they can choose between the two. During this time, there should be not only playing, but some listening in the lessons as well, exposing the student to the academic side of music, and seeing which is more interesting to the student. This is where the majority of technique exercises are taught, as the student needs to learn how to use their hands and fingers.

1. Reading
   1. Know all the notes on the guitar in first position, and where to read them.
   2. Can play a piece with whole, half, and quarter notes with some preparation. (Not sight reading)
2. Chords
   1. Know the basic major and minor triads in the key of C at a proficient level. And can change chords at an adagio speed or greater. (~60bpm)
3. Scales
   1. Know at least 1 pattern of a 1 octave major scale.
4. Technique
   1. Proficient with either a pick or fingerstyle (or both, if interested)
   2. Can fret a note properly.
      1. Tip of the finger
      2. Good arch
      3. No flat finger
5. Theory
   1. Understand the difference between a half step and whole step.
   2. Understand what a key is at the very basic concept.

Level 2

At this level, the student should know a few songs, and be through the most basic parts of learning the instrument. This is when the student is shown both classical pieces and jazz pieces. They will eventually choose one, but they should at least know the basics of both.

1. Reading
   1. Can read and play in 2nd position (key of D or A)
   2. Can sight read a single line of music in the key of C in first position with whole, half, and quarter notes.
   3. Can play a piece with whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes.
2. Chords
   1. Can play all basic triads including barre chords, and change chords at an andante speed or greater (~90bpm)
   2. Can play a few extended chords, specifically minor 7, major 7, and dominant 7.
3. Scales
   1. Can play the two octave scale, and can identify which scale they are playing.
4. Technique
   1. Proficient Pick-Work (up/down) & Proficient Right Hand Finger-work (I & M for the scale)
      1. Though only 1 will be focused on really, they should be able to do both.
   2. Can fret a note properly, even when multiple notes are fretted.
   3. Can play a scale legato or staccato
   4. Can control volume to some extent
5. Theory
   1. Understand the relationship of half and whole steps to the major scale
   2. Can work out the notes in any major scale.

Level 3

This is the level that the student chooses if they would rather learn classical or jazz. The student might have to be reassigned at this level depending on the teacher’s own specialization level of each of those.

1. Reading
   1. Know all the notes on the guitar up to fifth position
   2. Can sight read a single line in the keys of C, G, or D that use whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes.
   3. Can play a piece with whole, half, dotted half, quarter, dotted quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes. (Or multiple pieces that include some of all of that)
2. Chords
   1. Can create any triad chord upon command.
   2. Can change basic triad chords at a speed of moderato (~100 bpm)
   3. Understand what the 1, 3, and 5 (and beyond) of the chord is.
3. Scales
   1. Can play a two octave scale on command.
4. Technique
   1. Good fretting position and technique should look effortless except for anything a bit more complicated
   2. Can play a scale legato or staccato
   3. Can control volume in a song or piece of music.
   4. Can change the timbre in a song or piece oof music
5. Theory
   1. Can work out the notes in any major or natural minor scale.
   2. Understand what secondary dominants are, and how to find them.