The guitar is an instrument that can help schools and communities reach students and individuals not actively involved in making music. Using various strategies, including fingerpicking, flat-picking, playing contemporary as well as classical literature will be addressed. What you need to start a guitar program and the equipment you will need will be discussed.
Glen McCarthy
- Biographical Information
Glen McCarthy teaches guitar, ukulele, and bass at the Mason Community Arts Academy and is the facilitator of the ukulele and guitar workshops for the Veterans and The Arts Initiative at the Hylton Center in Manassas, VA. He has been a guest clinician and adjudicator at festivals, conferences, and workshops both nationally and internationally. He is the past chair of the NAfME Council for Guitar Education, the past chair of the ASTA Guitar-in-the-Schools Committee and presently the executive director and a clinician for Teaching Guitar Workshops.
Mr. McCarthy retired from Fairfax County Public Schools after 30 years at Robinson Secondary School where he developed a multi-level guitar program. Robinson was the first recipient of the Guitar & Accessories Marketing Association’s award to recognize innovative guitar programming in the United States. Under his direction, the Robinson Guitar Ensemble performed in numerous venues and was consistently awarded superior ratings at adjudicated festivals. For over 30 years, he taught class guitar, required for all music education majors and guitar pedagogy at George Mason University.
In 2014, the Grammy Foundation recognized Glen as one of the top ten music educators in the United States from over 32,000 nominees
Dr. Rob Pethel is a musician, educator, and researcher based in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned a B.Mus. with a concentration in classical guitar under John Sutherland in 2002 from Georgia State University (GSU). Rob’s graduate work [M.Ed., Auburn University (2010) – Ph.D., GSU, (2016)] researched guitar education, pedagogy, ethnomusicology, and public education.
Rob has worked in the Atlanta Public Schools system for since 2007, having taught guitar, piano, chorus, general music, [modern] band, esports, and Spanish. In addition to K-12 education, he has taught undergraduate courses at GSU in guitar and general music. Rob has previously served as the Guitar Chair for the Georgia Music Educators Association (2020-22), is a current member of the NAfME Council for Guitar Education, clinician for Teaching Guitar Workshops, and creator of www.BlueGuitar.us classroom curriculum.