Workshop for guitar students, July, 2013, Esteli, Nicaragua

July 8-13, 2013
Guitar workshop for kids
Escuela de Musica, Sones Segovianos
Guest Instructor, Edward Grigassy
Esteli, Nicaragua



Being introduced by the director of Escuela de Musica, Sones Segovianos, Hannah Curteis



I had the distinct pleasure to work with some excellent young guitar students at the Escuela de Musica, Sones Segovianos last July, in Esteli, Nicaragua. The school is named for a local exquisite musical art-form tradition from the northern region of the country, the so-named Segovia region. There is a long and beautiful tradition of songs and song-stylings from this area of the world. The folkloric styles of music from this region have contributed significantly to the overall musical culture and identity of Nicaragua. And from a anthropological, musicologist or ethnomusicologist viewpoint, the musical art created and fostered in the region is complex, interesting, and valuable to the broader global community as well.

We met as a guitar class for 5 class days and then I collaborated with the students and faculty of the school on their end-of-term recital, which took place at Sor Maria Romero hall, Saturday July 13, 2013.

In addition the school found out there was interest in guitar instruction from outside the enrolled students, so we had a second class meet per day of students from around the community.

In all there were 11 students, enrolled formally in Sones Segovianos, that attended the morning class, and six others who attended the afternoon class.

The morning class photo:

In the past, for many musical education workshops, it has often been a fun challenge to attempt to prepare a group of students for a recital at the end of the workshop, as a method of affirming what they learned as well as sharing the students' success with their families and the local community. However in this case, since there was already a Saturday night recital being prepared for, with a substantial list of songs already programmed, I felt it was better to focus on technical ability (on the guitar) as well as to model good practice and rehearsal skills as we all prepared the concert program.

So the form this particular workshop took was a series of technical workouts (many of which I have borrowed from the Grisha Goryachev toolkit), followed by a rehearsal of every song, where I served as coach. This way the students could get better (by physically playing exercises, learning and reinforcing the locations of the notes on the guitar), and they would be more prepared for Saturday's performance.

Students from the school are trained in solfege singing, recorder, guitar, marimba, mandolin and accordion. Here are some images of the Saturday night concert:

There wasn't time to perform our exercises on the Saturday night concert, so in order to showcase their progress in the workshop, I had each of them perform for the class on the last 2 days. They each performed the “first-string, all-fingers” exercise, and they each also had to perform a song originally learned on recorder (Spanish: flauta dulce), but instead to prepare it and perform it on their guitar.


Notice the excellent training the students already are receiving about bowing, stage presence, and proper concert etiquette (both on stage and in the audience):


[Tangent: the school which hosted the workshop is located on a facility owned by a foundation called Superemos, which partners with a local cooperative named Cooperativa "Chrisinte King".]

[At this cooperative they have a computer lab (for computer classes for the community), a solar panel building workshop, an on-site welding shop, a cafeteria, and other projects that uplift and support the local community. The locals know the property under its former name, Escuela Las Chanillas.]


Here are a series of exercises we were able to practice as a class each day.


On some days we could not get to them all (especially if there was time devoted to having students play for class or show other students their progress), but I recommend doing one or more of these technique exercises in EVERY class session. It's a great way to get kids playing the guitar, focusing on technique and it is immediately accessible for every student (they don't need to know how to read music or have extensive knowledge of the instrument). Also they are good because they foster immediate, direct interaction between teacher and class, especially the exercises which are played to a beat the instructor sets.

TEACHERS: I recommend tapping your foot to the beat so as to give a soft, visible, constant reminder of the beat. (Make sure YOU can do this without double-tapping your foot on the eighth-notes, or quadruple-tapping your foot on the sixteenth-notes!). If students have solid rhythm stability in their playing, ask them to also try to tap their foot as they play. It is a challenge for a beginner and a great skill to have as a musician, especially when playing in a ensemble. (There is a great tendency amongst students to try to accelerate in small increments as they perform a regular rhythm, like the way rhythmic clapping at a sporting event or concert, gets faster until it approaches the sound of applause! It is important to continually reinforce the idea of “a slow, even beat, not rushing, not hurrying, playing each note, being present, feeling each note, feeling the beat.” These phrase should be SAID OUT LOUD as you play the exercise to remind the student to be aware of the beat and not rushing ahead).

A. Plucked Trills (Spanish: Trinos Picados)

Start by being able to alternate in the RIGHT HAND:

Finger 1: “ i ” Finger 2: “ m ” Finger 3: “ a ” Right Hand Thumb: “ p ”

1) Place p on string 6.

This keeps the thumb out of the way of the work of the fingers and anchors the Right Hand.

2) Practice alternating i & m on string 1. Start freely then play to a pulse (quarter notes):

i m i m i m i m …. etc. (repeat)

I recommend have everybody use rest-stroke, and possibly on another occasion, free-stroke. We used rest-stroke exclusively during this workshop.

TECHNICAL ISSUE: We had to adjust seating position (ideally in the future all students would have footstools and would create a better right hand to string angle of about 45 degrees). Also the teacher needs to continuously monitor right-hand position, especially making note the right hand wrist is not touching the top of the guitar. In general, the wrist and hand should be in-line with the forearm and the fingers should move diagonally through the string, moving towards the right elbow. For free-stroke the fingertips should move diagonally through the string, this time into the palm of the hand, ideally bending every joint in the finger and actually touching the palm for proper “hand-programming” of follow-through.

TECHNICAL ISSUE: It is crucial that the teacher notice if there is ever any situation where the i finger runs into the thumb, p. Work with the students patiently to move the thumb to the left of the i finger and anchor it on another string, or simply make sure it stays “outside the lane” of the i finger's natural path. If the i finger is in the habit of running into the thumb, this creates a “traffic jam” for the fingers of the right hand. The i finger will play with less power and confidence than the other fingers since it has been trained to stop abruptly when it hits the thumb. (The fingers should move in a natural, “grab the apple” motion, except make sure the thumb p stays outside, that is, to the left of the fingers!).

3) Bring in the rhythm of the SPEED BURST (on string 1, in this case):

One measure of quarter notes, then one measure of eighth notes, repeat.

Then try one measure of eighth notes, one measure of sixteenth notes, repeat.

For fun go as fast as possible! Always return to the slower speed to re-align your playing to the beat. and to make the alternation more precise. It is called a “speed burst” because you set a base speed that is slow and easy, then jump up to a faster speed (that is more challenging) then go back to the base speed. Slow speeds help develop precision and proper technique, fast speeds develop fast playing! It is important to practice (and guide the students through) ALL SPEEDS.

This practice of all playing together to the different rhythmic values is great for comprehension of the values as well as for playing together as an ensemble. Also when you speak out, “Ok next it will be eighth-notes,” for example, it activates the brain of the student, who must imagine and actively keep track of where we are in the current measure. The transition to the new rhythm helps reinforce the student's application of the rhythmic pattern in their minds, in their fingers and to their ears.

B. Bring in the LEFT HAND (again on string 1): Finger 1: “ 1 ” Finger 2: “ 2 ” Finger 3: “ 3 ” Finger 4: “ 4 ” The number “0” represents no left-hand finger, or the open string.

Practice alternating in the RIGHT HAND as you play frets 0 and 1: 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 … etc.

Start freely at first, then do quarter notes/eighth notes SPEED BURSTS.

Try eighth note/sixteenth note SPEED BURSTS:

0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 | 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 | repeat
i m i m i m i m | i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m |


TEACHERS: Look for accuracy in rhythm, good right and left hand technique (no tension or awkward wrist positions – straight wrists, left hand thumb behind the neck, left hand fingertips stay close to the string/fret where they play – not zoom far away). Goals: efficiency and precision.

TECHNICAL ISSUE: Some students are not playing with perfectly curved left-hand fingers. This means they sometimes don't use their fingertips for every note, or they allow the joints of the finger to collapse, or “bend-backward.” Any time you notice this, encourage them gently to see if they can try it again with proper, curved left-hand fingers. Since very few fingers are used at any one time, these exercises are great for training good left-hand habits, when we notice poor habits.

TECHNICAL ISSUE: Many students have unfortunately learned the bad habit of keeping their left-hand pinky away from the strings (often VERY FAR away). This comes from an emphasis on learning chords which tend to turn the left-hand wrist to favor finger 1. Try to correct this when you see it, or model it and mention “Look at your left-hand pinky” as you play exercises using ANY fingers – sometimes when exercising finger 3, you will notice the same “pinky escape” habit!

Teach the students to keep their left-hand palms parallel to the fretboard, and each finger about the same distance from the strings. (You can model this to the students by putting all 4 fingertips on string one then playing the note and sliding up the fret board to the 12th fret, creating a portamento – students will have fun with the sound and they can see the curved finger relationship to the string). Remind them that ideally in all scales, melodies and chords, the fingertips should hover above the strings and maintain their position close to the strings, ready to engage rapidly and efficiently.


C. Do SPEED BURSTS with all the combinations of Left Hand fingers and the open string:

0 1, 0 2, 0 3, 0 4 – Use the same fret as finger. Very important to practice with each finger!

D. Do SPEED BURSTS with 1 finger fixed in place, adding and removing the next:

1 2, 1 3, 1 4, 2 3, 2 4, 3 4

(again look for keeping fingertips close to the string, good LH technique)

E. Practice a combination that fits in one measure and do it with SPEED BURSTS:

0 1 2 3 4 3 2 1 || repeat (note for eighth notes play the pattern once, sixteenth notes: twice)

TECHNICAL ISSUE: I also noticed many of the students want to put their left-hand thumb up above the neck of the guitar. Again this goes back to their training with chords and it is a common position error that students learn. It is fine if all they will ever play is chords, but as soon as it is time to play melodies, this left-hand thumb position will GREATLY RESTRICT their ability to move and place finger 3 and 4 in every position on the fretboard. A simple demonstration is to put finger 1 fixed on fret 1 first string. Then with the thumb behind the neck ask to what fret can they stretch to play finger 4 (keeping finger 1 in place). Then try the same exercise with the left-hand thumb up and out above the neck. It is physically impossible to reach very far with the pinky when the thumb is in this position.

F. Practice changing the Right Hand alternation pattern. Here are some more advanced patterns:

The exercises above can be done with different right hand patterns. In the Sones Segovianos workshop, we only introduced these patterns on the open strings, but later if there is time, they are EXCELLENT for developing the right- and left-hand coordination.

a m i a m i (a group of 3, which doesn't line up as nicely as 2, but if practiced it can become very fast!)
p a m i p a m i (all on one string, also can be very fast)
Change the RH technique to use REST-STROKE instead of free stroke.

PRACTICE ISSUE: It is always important with these exercises to reiterate that precision and efficiency of motion are far more important than speed without control. If ever a speed is to fast for a student or a class, slow down the tempo so the student can have some confidence in their accuracy and coordination of the two hands.

In general I noticed that the emphasis on speed and getting through the song did often create problems in the students' practice and performance. Many students were rushing through the melody of “La Mora Limpia” for example, because they had learned the speed they were taught it should go. They would often play until they made a mistake and repeat large portions of the melody again. Practicing this way is preparing the student for making errors (that is what they are practicing after all, running into errors) instead of allowing them to confidently and carefully perform every passage.

I would like to see future guitar education there include a DRAMATIC slow-down of the tempo, encouraging students to play each phrase correctly and cleanly, with good left- and right-hand technique. In my experience a good phrase to practice (and to teach the child to practice) is “one measure plus one beat,” that means a full measure of notes, plus just the first beat (or note) of the next measure. Practice a measure until there is no confusion (train the brain to remember what exact notes to play) and no error (practicing slowly and carefully so that the performance of the measure is perfect, at a slow tempo). Then move on to the next measure (or phrase). Sometimes phrases can be just one to five notes, depending on how complicated they are to memorize or physically perform.

My motto is the student should be able to play it 3 times, in a row, perfectly at a slow tempo before they are qualified to play it for the instructor or anybody else. This applies to each phrase, as well as to the whole song.

Other exercises:

G. This one was from my friend and flamenco guitar virtuoso, Grisha Goryachev. The students all seemed to like this study and they immediately could see where they needed work on their performance of it.

The “First-String, All-Fingers” Exercise:

Use this pattern in the right-hand: i m alternation using rest-stroke, p anchored on string 6. In the left-hand use this pattern: 0 1 2 3 4 3 2 1. Use same finger number as fret. Then move the left-hand to the second position (so that finger 1 plays fret 2, finger 2 plays fret 3, etc.). Play the same left-hand pattern there: 0 1 2 3 4 3 2 1 … Continue moving the left hand one fret higher each repetition until you reach the 8th fret (8th position), then with each repetition decrease the fret number by 1 until you play the last repetition back in 1st position. Don't forget there is meant to be an open string played between each grouping of notes, and the whole exercise ends on a single open string. Optionally the student can strum an E major chord at the end of the whole exercise as a way of “celebrating” their achievement!

Start at quarter-note speed. Then do the whole exercise at eighth-note speed. Then try sixteenth-note speed. Then challenge the students to practice it at home as fast as they can maintaining accuracy and precision of each finger and a good clear sound for each note. Always remind the students to go back to the slow, comfortable speed to reinforce accuracy.

H. Add Staccato Technique to Plucked Trills and First-String, All-Fingers exercises:

Now at a slow speed we can train the right-hand to go faster, not by simply rushing through the movements, but by training the next finger to get ready at almost the same time as the previous finger plays. When executed on a single-string, this creates a staccato articulation which is an important ability for any musician to have in their toolkit.

The procedure is like this: Immediately when i goes through the string, m prepares, ready to play, on the same string. Then when m goes through the string, i prepares immediately on the same string ready to play next. When played slowly (quarter-notes for example), it sounds like a series of short notes. Train the students to move efficiently, making VERY SMALL motions in the right-hand so that there is no excess time or energy wasted with big, sloppy motions.

Overall we want to train our right-hands to be quick, efficient executors of the strings, and then bring in the left-hand, to improve our two-hand coordination, to play fast and accurately with both hands moving quickly and efficiently.

So have the students play the plucked trills with staccato at the slower speeds. Remind them to look at their hands (sometimes right, sometimes left), to make sure they are keeping the fingertips close to the strings at all times. If there is a habit to move a finger FAR from the string (like the left-hand pinky, for example), have the student do the study SLOWLY, thoughtfully bringing the finger closer, in a relaxed manner.

This use of right-hand staccato, always preparing the next right-hand finger in advance, and training the hand to do it automatically, also can be applied to scales and melody passages. In scales, when the notes change string, the right-hand preparation will actually be on the NEW string, thus there will be no staccato sound.

I. Natural Notes Scale:


I wrote the natural notes of the guitar in first position on the staff and guided the students through the scale. I think it is helpful to repeat each note 4 times (also good is 2 times), using a good right-hand fingering like, i m i m, on each note, so it reinforces two-hand coordination. Then as you ascend the scale, have the students SAY OUT LOUD the name of the note, before moving on to the next one.

Since the students at Sones Segovianos all had extensive training in solfegio and recorder, this connecting the note names, to locations on the guitar – and to the note location on the staff – put together the missing link of knowledge and ability for students to read staff music on their guitars.

After we did this several days in a row, I asked them all, now that they knew where the notes were, to read or perform from memory one of their recorder pieces on the guitar. Without exception the students did a great job at this. Some students chose difficult pieces, others chose basic ones, but they all performed them for the class and it was a great success.

I think the next step for these students is to have them play ensemble pieces with groups of students playing different guitar parts (guitar trio or guitar quartet music), AND to have individual students begin to learn basic classical repertoire pieces. Some students may be ready for Carcassi, Sor or Guiliani studies, while others should be assigned short single-line excerpts.

Another good idea is to have the students practice reading new songs (or excerpts of songs), from the staff and to play them alone or as a class. (I have a collection of short reading exercises I can provide if asked.)

J. Spanish Rasgueado Technique:

The students are fabulous already at performing the traditional folkloric strumming patterns they have been carefully taught. These Nicaraguan (and for the most part Latin American-style) patterns are an important part of their musical cultural heritage and help to increase confidence in their performing with a guitar in their hands. Add a vocal line or a melody line on any instrument and you have instant music that is interesting, rhythmic and engaging to the musicians and the listeners.

In our workshop I wanted to introduce some other right-hand patterns that are common in Spain and in flamenco style in particular. I have found that young students can learn these patterns rapidly and they are fun and rewarding to play.

The basic one we used was: minique a m i (pausa), repeat. Placing the thumb, p, again as an anchor on string 6, the other fingers should be brought into the palm like a “soft fist.” The student is then trained to extend each finger from the palm in the order specified. Each finger is a separate motion, at no time should 2 fingers come out of the fist together. I also had them use the “ball” of the thumb (the bigges joint of the thumb, where it connects to the hand) as resistance so that each stroke (physically downward toward the floor), comes out strong and percussive.

We played this chord progression with the technique described above:

2/4 || Bb * | Bb * | A | A | Bb * | Bb * | A | A |
| Dm | Dm | C | C | Bb * | Bb * | A | A || Repeat from beginning...

The Bb * chord is a “Spanish” B-flat major, meaning simply the A major pattern, but all left hand fingers at the 3rd fret. Or another way to describe it is a B-flat chord with an open 1st and 5th string. Note that the 6th string does not sound in this song, simply because the right-hand thumb, p, rests on in “like an anchor” during the entire procedure. The rhythm used for the notes in each measure above would be: minique – m – a (triplet eighth-notes), and the i finger a quarter-note with an accent (striking a little louder than the other fingers).

K. Sextuplet Continuous Rasgueado

This one we only started to introduce, but it is an essential rasgueado for Spanish and other styles of music.

It is 3 motions done twice. In this case the right-hand hovers over all the strings in the soft-fist position (like a fist except the thumb, p, is outside, that is, to the left of, the i finger. p in this case is straight and relaxed, not curved under the fingers as in a tight fist position).

The first motion is a (and m which moves sympathetically along with a ) extend and sweep over the strings. The arm should not move, the wrist should not turn... yet.

The second motion is i extends and sweeps over the strings, and as it does, the wrist turns so that the back of the thumb, p, is ready to touch string 1. I liken this “wrist” turning to the motion we use when opening a door, or turning a screwdriver. Again the arm should not move down. In this rasgueado, only the fingers extending and the wrist turning does the work.

The third motion is for a quick wrist turn up, so that p drags up over all the strings. Again the arm should not move up, by extending p in towards the soundhole and turning the wrist, we make a nice, quick percussive stroke.

Return the fingers to the soft-fist position and repeat. By doing it twice you can eventually create a pattern of six strokes that, when played rapidly, and continuously, sound very effective!

A good chord progression for this pattern is (each measure would be six slow, rhythmically even strokes):

|| B7 | B7 | Em | Em | B7 | B7 | Em | Em |
| Am | Am | Em | Em | B7 | B7 | Em | Em ||

L. Regular Trills

These exercises use the exact same left-hand finger patterns as in the Plucked Trill exercises, except these trills are performed as most trills usually are, with only the left hand.

For example: let's discuss the procedure for playing the 0 3 trill.

The right-hand can start the trill by playing the first note (the open string) then immediately, finger 3 does a “hammer-on” at the third fret. This is with a curved 3rd finger, hitting the string with the fingertip, right by the 3rd fret, so that it creates a tone.

Then the left-hand finger does a “pull-off” technique, where, on the nylon-string guitar, the LEFT HAND finger actually plucks the string by pulling down towards the floor. Again the fingertip should move through the string, thus producing a tone.

The volume of the tones will be much quieter than the plucked trills, but if you ask students to repeat the exercise many, many times, everyone will soon see how directly this exercise works the finger muscles and develops accuracy of the fingertips. The more times the students practice this, the better, more accurate and louder the trills will be.

It is important to practice it to the beat, with speed bursts as well. Also these are good for playing them as rapidly as possible, without missing the string. It is a true physical challenge that makes up part of an important left-hand technique. You will see the students struggle after a few repetitions due to the strength and endurance required to make the trill sound clear and loud.

It's a good idea to show the students how the trills show up in music, especially the 1 2 1, 1 3 1, 2 3 2, 2 4 2, and 3 4 3 combinations.

I recommend going through all 10 combinations:

4 with the open string: 0 1, 0 2, 0 3, 0 4

and 6 combinations with 1 finger fixed in place, adding and removing the next:

1 2, 1 3, 1 4, 2 3, 2 4, 3 4

After you have done this on the first string a few days, try doing these on other strings. The technique of the pull-off will be affected on higher number strings. Good technique is when the fingertip does a pull-off and briefly rests against the next string (physically down). The left hand is doing something similar to the rest-stroke of the right hand!

M. Warm-up away from the guitar: Waving the fingers on both hands

Have the students hold up their hands with the palms facing you, the instructor.

Show them, and describe to them, what it looks like if the fingers are fully extended (literally pointing straight up to the sky). Then flex the fingers so that the tips touch the palm of the hand (both hands).

Now ask them to do 100 extensions and flexes without stopping. Make sure everyone is truly extending their fingertips straight up, many students only move a little bit. It needs to be a full extension and a full flexion. If students get tired, they can stop and rest. Don't REQUIRE the students to do 100, just several.

Ask the class where the exercise is felt. It's in the forearms where the finger muscles actually live.

This exercise is a great way to warm up the fingers away from the instrument. It's a good exercise to start with and end with. Two minutes of this feels like several hours of music practice!

I have been told, by Grisha who gave me this study, that the faster you can do the extension-flexion alternation, the faster you can play notes on the guitar. Please don't allow any one to overdo this one, it's just a nice warmup.

Self-evaluation of the workshop:

If the students were inspired in any way, especially if they could see how practice made a real difference in a short amount of time, then of course the workshop was a success.

The students performed in a very professional and orderly manner the day of the concert. They indeed were thoroughly prepared for the performance.


Hannah Curteis, the director, asked me to play a couple pieces for variety. I played Danza Paraguaya, by Barrios-Mangore, and Panaderos, by Esteban Sanlucar

A group of the young students perform as a children's choir! They sounded great!

The concert concluded with the faculty members Beto, Byron and Hannah joining the students on stage for a classic Son Segoviano! -- Bravo!! ... to everyone!


The best part was getting to meet and interact with all the kind students, teachers, facilitators and administrative staff that made the workshop possible. Most of all, the biggest success was not the detailed content of what notes we played and what fingers we exercised, the greatest reward for all involved was the cross-cultural connection between the enthusiastic guest and local teachers and the dedicated young music students!

Summer Guitar Workshop for kids in San Ramon, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Part 3

Despite my being sick the first two days of the last week, I am happy to report the guitar workshop was a success!

The 14 students who completed the 4 weeks of classes performed in a recital (in Spanish, "presentacion") on the last Thursday, July 26, 2012. Here are some images from that presentacion:

Here were my suggestions for follow-up plans at the Centro. (Some suggestions are general and would be valuable in other class settings, in Nicaragua or anywhere).

Report to the Administration at
Centro Promocional Cristiano
San Ramon, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, C.A.
Regarding the 14 students completing the guitar workshop, July 2012

Tuesday-Thursday Class
8 students in this group:
Ages: 7, 7, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15

Every student in this class had talent and interest in learning guitar!

The Chavarra Hdz Brothers have the most experience with guitar (they have one at home and take turns practicing it). Both are especially ready to read music and learn new right and left hand techniques. Here they are playing "Muelle de San Blas" by Mana:

Ideally, every one of these students could have one-on-one lessons. Special attention and gentleness will be required with the youngest students (7 yr. olds). Both were excellent students and each had dedicated parents that dropped them off and picked them up each day. In this situation, as in most of Latin America, where elementary students only go to school for 4 hours, these particular students could learn a lot if they continue. I recommend scheduling a regular afternoon time for one-on-one lessons and focused practice time. Focused practice time is where I ask the student which song they will practice for the next time segment (10 to 30 minutes). If necessary, remind them what they promised to work on!

The other students are good friends and all are excellent at both technique and memorization. They all had courage to play for class. I did have to speak twice to one of the older students about being polite, behaving respectfully. To his credit he always responded to requests from the instructor!

Monday-Wednesday Class
10 students completed these sessions.
Ages: 8, 8, 12, 12, 12, 12 ,12 , 14, 14, 15

The youngest children have much desire to learn. They would be good candidates for private lessons. Three of the middle age group of the students were especially gifted in understanding and mastering musical examples and songs. The other students are probably best suited for a group class, but if they show more interest, it would be great to give them lessons one-on-one.

Ideas to continue (this information especially for local teachers at the Centro):

Continue with each group classes. Try always to give a new song each new class. You will need to insist students take part of the class practicing (rehearsing) individually (for example, after the first hour, spend 30 minutes individually practicing - every student finding a quiet place to practice). As I mentioned above, during this period, it is important that each student say which song they are going to practice, and at times, whenever they are distracted, remind them of the song they promised.

I recommend giving one-on-one lessons. Even if only during class, it is important to listen to students individually. Ideally in front of the class (master class style) or in a quiet corner.

Practicing on guitars: There is a school in Managua that has a good system. On days when the Center is open, but not a day of class for the particular student, they allow students to practice guitar in the center. During business hours of course, and ideally in a room where they have some monitoring (ideally only one or maximum two guitarists practicing at a time). If you want this option for students, of course you will need to tell students and parents the rules of this program.

Ideally the student have a notebook for all classes and all practice sessions. And it is good pre-requisite for the student to obtain permission to practice outside the class, because if they are allowed to pratice, they need specific notes as copied in their notebooks.

I am sending some melodies that can be used to teach students. However since you are experts in guitarra folclorica, a good song to teach is Mazurca Segoviana. It is possible to write the strings and fret numbers on this song and they can copy this, the "tablature" of the song.

Two days for each group does serve students. They can have dramatic improvement, if they can practice on days that they have no class.

Recitals and presentations: I recommend trying to give presentations every two months. If you need extra time, take it. It is important students can play 4-6 songs on stage.

Profesor Donald, the painting instructor, also a great student who learned all the guitar class material AND substituted for me on the days I got sick and was recovering from intestinal parasites!

Rosario Gonzalez, the director of the Centro Promocional Cristiano

Faculty and support staff: (from left to right) Melissa Abjabshir (ProNica director), Dona Margarita Sanchez (one of the founders of the Centro), Lillian Hall (former ProNica Nicaraguan director), Armando Ramirez, Carmen Gonzalez (ProNica Delegation Coordinator) and myself.

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, the directors of ProNica introduced me to the Centro last year, so though they did not donate money or guitars to this particular project, they helped make it all possible.

I sadly left Nicaragua on August 6, 2012, leaving behind the eight guitars and detailed notes about each student and recommendations for future guitar classes there. Rosario Gonzalez mentioned they have plans to hire local musicians as future teachers. I met several, talked to them about the teaching possibility, and made my suggestions to the teachers and the administration about how to continue.

Summer Guitar Workshop for kids in San Ramon, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Part 2

In the midst of the second day of classes here in San Ramon. So far things are going well. There were a few snags in the plan (for example, more than 12 students showed up that hadn't registered properly), but for the most part our class is well on its way.

Here are photos of the "Centro Promocional Cristiano por la Paz y por la Vida," where the class is located:

The street it is on (note that most of the unnamed streets here are cobblestoned in the traditional hexagonal shaped bricks called "calzada," very common here in Nicaragua, in fact there are entire highways paved this way):

The Centro has arranged to have four classes which each meet twice a week, and since there are four guitars here already (all in working order, just had to change a few strings), we can have up to 12 students per class.

This means I will have approximately 48 students while I am here. I suspect some students will drop out and others will attend. Already I have had students with some experience playing chords and some melodies (the ones who have guitars at home and a parent to teach them), but the majority of the kids are complete beginners.

So far I have students from ages 7 through 18 and they are attentive and respectful to me as their "profesor" (or "profe" as they say it).

Here are some photos of the first class session:

More info and more images to come! ...

Summer Guitar Workshop for kids in San Ramon, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Part 1

After having done a very enjoyable workshop for kids in Suchitoto, El Salvador, July 2010, I'm excited to be back in Central America and working with a new group of beginner students.

In July 2011, I went on a tour of projects sponsored by ProNica, a Quaker-based non-profit organization which provides support for several community health, child welfare, peace promotion and education projects all around Nicaragua. It was on this tour that we visited a wonderful community service institution which agreed to host the July 2012 guitar workshop.

The institution that will host the workshop is in San Ramon (near Matagalpa) and they are called "El Centro Promocional Cristiano por la Paz y por la Vida," also known by their earlier, simpler title "Casa de los Ninos." The Casa de los Ninos was originally founded in the 1980's by a group of women as an organization dedicated to improving the health and nutrition of children in the area (in response to high rates of illness and malnutrition). Over the years they have added arts education and women's health promotion to the many free services they offer to the community.

How this July 2012 guitar workshop came about:

I have been to Nicaragua numerous times, spending several weeks here each summer since 2008. I have a special love for the people and the culture here, especially since folkloric music, and more specifically, the nylon-string acoustic guitar is such a large part of the Nicaraguan musical heritage. Nicaragua has a deep and rich history of folk music which makes it a true gem for lovers of folkloric culture, like myself.

During my travels here, I was constantly on the lookout for an established institution that would be favorable for a workshop for children. My intention was to donate guitars and spend some time training new students how to play the guitar. Ideally, I would also get to work with local musician-teachers in order to promote on-going guitar classes to continue throughout the year.

From my experience in El Salvador, I had found that there are several factors that are important when finding an organization to partner with in such an endeavor:

1) The organization should be an established community institution dedicated to promoting education and/or training in the arts for children.

2) The organization must be able to store the instruments that are donated. Especially important is a history of proven reliability with property that has been donated or purchased. Specifically, for guitars, the organization needs a place to keep them under lock-and-key and away from environmental factors like heat, rain, moisture, rust and/or mold.

3) Ideally the organization should have an office that efficiently communicates to parents of potential students about class times and student enrollment. It is also useful if said organization can help deal with any students who are having problems with attendance, discipline and/or focus.

(For example, in El Salvador I unfortunately had to un-enroll one 8-year-old student who was constantly disrupting the class, and seemed to prefer to run around outside than to learn guitar. The administrative staff helped contact the parents and in a very gentle manner kindly asked the parents to have the student re-enroll later, perhaps when he was a little older and better able to maintain focus on the class activities).

4) The directors of the organization should be are enthusiastic about adding guitar training to the services they provide the community. If the administration is excited about the opportunity to expand its musical education services, it helps makes the whole project run smoothly and it makes everything more fun for teacher and student alike.

5) The organization offers it's education services to any families who are interested free of charge. I believe it is important to empower children regardless of family affiliations or income. As you know, a student's economic background has little to no correlation to his/her aptitude for learning an instrument.

The Casa de los Ninos had all of these qualities as well as the highest personal recommendations from ProNica staff (Lillian Hall, director and Carmen Gonzalez, delegation coordinator).

So during our visit to the Casa de los Ninos I met with Rosario Gonzalez, the current director, and she was very interested in the opportunity to have guitar classes for the children of the community. She was also very supportive in having as a volunteer to organize and run this workshop scheduled for July 2012. Over the intervening months, I gathered guitars and prepared for the workshop, which I will start on Monday, July 9.

Obtaining the guitars for the workshop:

A crucial ingredient in running a workshop (and starting a regular guitar class) is providing the instruments for students to learn on.

In this case (as in the Suchitoto, El Salvador workshop), I simply purchased the guitars myself from a wholesaler in Houston, Texas for approximately $27 per guitar (most were purchased from JSL Imports). These guitars are built in China. (In the future, I hope to further investigate where and how they are constructed, but suffice it to say, they are decent instruments for students to learn on.) These particular instruments have good intonation and come with sturdy cardboard boxes that can serve as storage cases providing a good deal of protection from the elements.

Two years ago, I had the guitars shipped to El Salvador in boxes (there were 21 guitars in that instance) as freight. Unfortunately this wasn't the best method as it was (a) fairly expensive to transport, and (b) the Salvadoran customs administrators refused to treat them as a donation and, according to their policies, charged a hefty customs charge before releasing the instruments to the art center in Suchitoto. (Which the art center fortunately paid... see the blog entries regarding the 2010 workshop:

This year I instead found "delegates" (students traveling to Nicaragua for educational tours) who were willing to carry the instruments one at a time. Each delegate transported one guitar each as a second baggage item for only $40 airline fee. Upon arrival there was no questions asked nor were there any charges levied for the instruments. I was put in contact with these delegates by direct recommendation from ProNica staff. In this case a group of Trinity University (San Antonio) students led by Dr. Meredith McGuire brought down five guitars in this manner. I then brought two more instruments with me as additional baggage. Lastly, today, I purchased one more here in Managua at a local music store (after canvassing all the local guitar dealers for the best deal in 2011).

So for this workshop I am bringing eight new guitars (five full-size and three half-size). The director of the Casa de los Ninos says she already has three instruments that we can use for the classes though I have not seen the condition of these instruments.

I am sure there are better and more inexpensive ways of obtaining instruments (like perhaps purchasing them wholesale locally). For future workshops I will attempt to optimize this process.

Preparing for the workshop:

Thankfully the Suchitoto workshop has prepared me for teaching kids guitar in Spanish and optimizing repertoire that they can master in 2 or 3 weeks. In future posts I will discuss the repertoire and procedures I use to teach these kids. The plan is to have 16 to 20 students per day for 4 days a week, followed by a recital (open to the parents and community) at the conclusion of the workshop. I have asked for students to be selected by interest and aptitude in the age range of 8 to 15 years old.

I intend on teaching notes in the solfege system used throughout Latin America ("Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-SI-do"). I make use of the ingrained practice of copying into their personal notebooks whatever the teacher writes on the board. In this case I have them write the locations of notes (with note names, strings and fret numbers) and the "text" version of the songs we are learning.

Example: "Estrellita" (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
do do sol sol la la sol
fa fa mi mi re re do ... etc.

I will teach them several famous melodies, and depending on the time and pace of the class, we may even get to music notation and/or chords.

In future blogs, I will report the on the progress of the class, and I will post photos of the kids with their guitars.

Thanks to everybody who has supported me on this effort and I am excited to be working with this new batch of students!

Duo Concert at HCC West Loop wth Grisha! (Apr 21, 2012)

I'm VERY pleased to announce a fun, upcoming concert
where I have the honor of performing with Flamenco Virtuoso,

Grisha Goryachev

(click here for his website)




7pm, Saturday, April 21, 2012 at

Houston Community College, West Loop Campus

Everyone is invited! But you must call for tickets IN ADVANCE.

Here is the flyer:





Click below for other performances in April 2012,

INCLUDING Latin Carnaval performing music of Argentina at

the Houston International Festival 2012...
Click for Edward's Performance Page

Texas State Legislature and Governor want to "Save Money" and Cut Education

Here is an open letter to all of the Senators and Representatives of the Texas State Legislature who are considering a new budget for 2011-2012 that would cut funding of education STATEWIDE. In large school districts, like Houston ISD where I teach guitar and Multimedia, this would mean a drop in 15 to 20 per cent of funding, likely resulting in reduction of staff, faculty and other important programs.

From: Edward Grigassy
Instructor,
Bellaire High School,
Bellaire, Texas (Houston I.S.D.)

Dear State Senator or Representative,

It has come to my attention that the current Texas State Legislature is debating a new budget that would severly cut funding to education and school districts throughout the state of Texas. As an instructor at Bellaire High School, in the Houston Independent School District, this would impact hundreds of staff, faculty colleagues, students and parents that I personally work with, either directly or indirectly, on a daily basis.

According to Houston ISD's News reports:

“The first draft of a Texas budget for the next two years would slash public school funding by more than $9 billion. This represents the worst budget crisis for Texas since World War II, and comes at a time when Texas schools are being asked to educate an additional 84,000 students each year. For the Houston Independent School District, such a deep cut would mean the loss of $202 million to $348 million in yearly funding, or a 15-20 percent budget cut.”

HISD also predicts “that fine arts programs, sports teams and anything else that is not related to teaching core subjects such as reading, math, science and social studies would be on the chopping block as principals decide how to spend their limited funds.”

Other estimates by HISD have mentioned having to fire one-third or more of all teachers in the district. Can you imagine how overloaded the public school system of a major city like Houston would be with only two-thirds or less of current teachers and even more students to teach than in previous years? (Student numbers are expected to rise next year as they have for many consecutive years past).

In a recent State of the State address our governor, Rick Perry, who recently ran on a campaign of the “supposed” stability of our state's economy – as compared to the rest of the country – vowed “we must protect” and “preserve the Rainy Day Fund,” which has between $9 - 10 billion available for state expenditures. (Speech given Feb. 8, 2011).

As an instructor in Fine Arts and as a constituent of the area of Texas that you represent, I, therefore URGE you to RECONSIDER such severe budget cuts to education throughout the state. In addition, if no additional new funding is available for the proposed 2011-2012 budget, I URGE you to ASK FOR FUNDS from the Rainy Day Fund. I am certain only a fraction of the fund would be necessary to maintain a budget that saves thousands of jobs and helps to ensure a stable, appropriate education for the millions of children enrolled in Texas public schools.

As an example of the kind of quality programs that are in jeopardy due to these proposed budget cuts, I offer to you one example of an event we are sponsoring at Bellaire High School where I am a Guitar instructor (at our school, guitar class is a state-mandated Fine Arts elective that nearly 300 students enroll in each year). We are hosting the 2011 First Annual Houston ISD Guitar Festival which brings together guitar students and teachers from guitar programs at 8 area elementary schools, 6 area middle schools, as well as our high school program. We will be serving almost 300 students at this festival, inspiring them through guest artist performances, teaching through expert-led rehearsals and workshops, and giving each student the rewarding feeling of accomplishment through their performance on the main stage for an audience of proud parents, friends and supporters. Enclosed you will find an invitation to this festival.

Without funding from the state, many of the participating guitar programs are in jeopardy. Students at every age love learning to play music, and in this case, the guitar.

Fine Arts education has been proven conclusively to raise test scores in other areas, increase student motivation and involvement in their studies and to provide an increased sense of community and positive identity with their peers and instructors, thus enriching their overall academic experience. I can't tell you how many students I have taught over the years that have said how much they appreciated guitar class, some even mentioned they would have dropped out of high school if not for their favorite class, guitar. If the Fine Arts get cut in the school districts throughout the state, reason dictates that test scores will plummet, drop-out rates will increase, and overall academic excellence will decline.

Please don't place more value on dollars than on actual people, siding with money and vested interests over students who want to learn and achieve great things here in Texas, the state of their residency. By investing in students you are investing in the future of Texas, and in my opinion, the education of our young people is something you cannot afford to sabotage without serious consequences for our collective society.

Thus in summation, I ask that you listen to the arguments presented to you by thousands of teachers, parents, school district leaders and community members throughout Texas, and re-consider designing our state's budget with basic allowances for education. It is an crucial time in the history of our state, and this decision is an important opportunity for you to be a HERO to millions of educators and students who need your help right now for this basic human need: the right to a quality education. Please don't be a villian and snatch away the very classes that are your son's, daughter's or grandchildren's favorite interest and their deepest passion!

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my arguments, I hope you will think about the many educators, administrators and students who will be affected by your upcoming decisions.

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Edward Grigassy
B.A. Music (UT Austin 1996), M.M. Guitar (NE Conservatory 1998)
Instructor, Bellaire High School
5100 Maple St.
Bellaire, Texas 77401

TEXAS RESIDENTS: Please help!! Call or send a similar letter to your representatives and to the Texas governor, feel free to use any or none of my text above.

Who represents you? Texas residents click here.

And now the good news that the 2010-2011 Texas and HISD budget made possible:

---

The Houston Independent School District
Elementary and Secondary Curriculum,
Instruction, and Assessment
Fine Arts Departments

Invite you to the
2011 FIRST ANNUAL HOUSTON ISD
GUITAR FESTIVAL
February 26, 2011
11:00 am – 5:30 pm
Bellaire High School Auditorium
5100 Maple Street
Bellaire, Texas 77401
Corner of South Rice and Maple Street
(Two Blocks North of South Rice Street and Beechnut Street)

Agenda:
Check-in / Registration: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm noon
Opening presentation: 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm (Open to the public)
Workshops (classrooms): 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Snacks / Break: 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Final Concert: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (Open to the public)

Hosts and Co-directors
Mr. Edward Grigassy, Ms. Amy McIntyre, Mr. Mark Moore
Presented by the Guitar Program at Bellaire High School
In Collaboration with the Houston Independent School District

Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s),
Congratulations! Your student has been selected to participate in this year's First Annual Houston I.S.D. Guitar Festival, a gathering of guitar students in guitar programs from Elementary, Middle and High Schools from around the district.

The festival is on February 26 at Bellaire High School. We invite parents/guardians to bring their students to registration and attend our opening presentation from 12noon to 12:30pm. Students will then participate in workshops and fun music activities from 12:30am until 3:30pm. During the workshop section of the festival, guitar teachers (and qualified chaperones) will monitor students.
At 4:00pm, family members, students, fellow teachers, and guests return for the "Festival Concert Finale" featuring all of the HISD guitar program student participants. In order to motivate your student, attendance of family and supporters at the finale concert is highly encouraged. The concert is free and open to the public!

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at the festival!