Westwood High School. MU 29/30: Beginning/Intermediate Guitar Classes Fall/Spring Mr. Matthew Wright

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1 Westwood High School MU 29/30: Beginning/Intermediate Guitar Classes Fall/Spring Mr. Matthew Wright Welcome to guitar classes at Westwood High School. The purpose of the guitar classes are to give you some experience playing the guitar, teach you how to read music, and expose you to the many different styles of guitar playing out there. While we will spend most of our time focusing on playing the guitar and learning songs for our final performance, we will also spend some time learning basic music theory. I hope that you will find the class challenging and fun. If you are willing to do the work and pay attention in class, there is no reason that you won t get an A. Required Materials 1. Acoustic Guitar (Steel- or nylon-string) Guitar is a hands-on class. For this reason, those students who have an acoustic guitar at home should bring it every day to play on in class. Lockers are available for students to keep their instruments in, however students are responsible for providing a padlock if they wish to keep their instrument safe. Neither Westwood nor the Music Department is responsible for any lost or missing belongings. The Music Department has a very limited amount of class guitars for student use. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain a guitar for their individual use. Please see your instructor if you have any questions about how to get a guitar there are several options. 2. Guitar Notebook In order to keep track of all your worksheets, notes and music that will be handed out during the semester, you will be asked to bring a 3-ring binder or folder to class every day. It should be filled with some lined paper, and manuscript paper. Manuscript paper can be printed off at 3. Pencil We will be writing every day in class. Please make sure that you have a pencil to write with. 4. Miscellaneous Items You may wish to bring other items with you to class: electronic tuners (we will learn how to tune our guitars in class), picks, and guitar strings, and/or case (a case is highly recommended if you are transporting a guitar to and from school). Westwood Music does not provide guitar strings for students. If you break your string, I will be happy to show you how to restring it with a string that you bring to me.

2 Classroom Procedures In order for instruction to place and to allow all students an opportunity to learn, we will follow a few basic rules in guitar class: 1. No food or drink is allowed in the classroom. This includes chewing gum. All food, drink, and gum should be deposited in the trash as you enter the room. Failure to do so will result in a loss of participation points for the day. The only exception is bottled water. 2. Please use the restroom before or after class. Your passing period between classes is the perfect opportunity to use the restroom and/or get a drink. Tuning/instruction begins at the bell; if you are not ready to go you will be marked tardy and lose participation points. The restroom in the music building may be used during class for emergencies only. 3. Cell phones and other electronic devices. Westwood has a school wide policy about phones and electronic devices. Inappropriate use of technology in class will result in confiscation of the device. Students may then pick them up after school in the front office. You will also lose your participation points for the day. Stay off of your phone during class if you don t want to lose it! A note about the laptops: There may be days in class on which you are able to use the laptop for educational purposes. Mr. Wright will let you know about these days in advance. Unauthorized use of any electronic device will result in confiscation of the device and the incident being reported on an Minor Incident Report (MIR) form. 4. Instructional time versus practice/rehearsal time. Having a guitar in your hands makes it very tempting for you to play it or make noise with it during class. We will have plenty of time to do so if you are quiet when I ask you to listen. Playing the guitars when your instructor is trying to teach not only keeps you from learning; it interferes with the entire class. Please show respect for the teacher and your classmates by listening when asked to listen and not playing your guitar. 5. Respect yourself, your classmates, and the teacher. Guitar should be a fun class. We are here to learn about music and to make music. You will be learning about some of the influential performers and bands throughout the history of music, and at the end of the class you will have improved your skill at playing the guitar. Please give yourself and everyone else a chance to learn, make mistakes, and improve without being torn down. The guitar classroom is a safe environment where we should all feel comfortable and safe. 6. Fingernails? Having very long fingernails (at least on the left hand) will make it difficult to play the guitar. If you feel like having long fingernails that is fine, your grade will not be docked for it. Keep in mind that it may affect your performance on playing quizzes.

3 Grading Guitar students will be graded on their participation in class, how well they have learned the material presented in the week (typically represented by performance on a playing quiz at the end of the week), and their final performance/projects. Participation: Attendance in class; having your guitar, notebook, note cards, and pencil. Students earn 20 points each day. It may not seem like a lot, but 100 points a week for 18 weeks can add up and make the difference between passing and failing. Weekly Quizzes: In order for the students to progress, weekly quizzes of the material will be given at the end of each week. These are typically anywhere from points. Failure to perform your quiz will result in a zero. If the students attempts the quiz and receives only half of the points, they may make up the quiz by making arrangements to come in and play it before or after school. Please give an effort, not an excuse! Final Performance: All guitar students will be expected to participate in a final performance at the end of the semester. The date of the performance is May 3rd, 2016 at 7:30 PM in the Westwood Auditorium. Additionally, there will be a song project assigned at the end of the semester. You will choose a song, learn it, and perform it in front of your classmates. This final performance is worth 50% of your grade, so be prepared to work hard! Final Project: Guitar students will be expected to research and write about an influential group or soloist who has had an impact on guitar playing. Some time will be given during class to prepare, but the poster should be created at home. Students are encouraged to also find recordings of their artist for the class to listen to. This project will be assigned and completed after Spring Break. As your guitar teacher, I am here to help you. If you find yourself struggling in the class, please come and see me. It is not always obvious who may be struggling, and I am happy to meet with you outside of class to give you additional help. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with you this semester and teach you how to play the guitar. Music is something that you can enjoy throughout your entire life, even if you don t choose it as a career, so make the most of this chance to discover all there is to playing the guitar. If you or your parents have any questions or concerns, please contact me (contact info is at the top of the syllabus). Here s to a great semester!

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5 I (the student) have read the syllabus and understand that I (the student) am expected to abide by the classroom procedures. I (the student) agree to follow the classroom procedures. Student Name Date Student Signature I (Parent/Guardian) have read this syllabus and understand what is expected of my student. Parent/Guardian Signature Date