Teacher: Mr. Newland
For the first time this year, JVA has introduced a guitar elective to give students the opportunity to learn a useful new musical skill. To find out more, we interviewed Mr. Newland about what the class involves and what he hopes students will get out of it by the end of the semester – thank you to Mr. Newland for your time!
Share a little bit about yourself.
I’m a Colorado native – born in Ft. Collins – despite being forced to grow up in Western Nebraska. I attended the University of Wyoming, where I earned my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education. My major was voice. In my spare time, I love anything that has to do with going to the mountains, spoiling my dog, and visiting my friends and family.
What does the class cover throughout the semester?
Beginning Guitar is just that – for beginners! We cover how to read music, be it notes or chords, and we cover some TAB as well. We spend the majority of time learning first position chords and practicing the rhythm guitar (where you strum to sing along to songs). Eventually, we may get to reading TAB or even sheet music!
What will students learn in the class?
Students will learn the basics of guitar anatomy, how to follow sheet music and play chords, they will learn basic theory skills, and they will learn about self discipline – learning any new instrument is very challenging!
What’s your favorite part of the class?
I enjoy just playing for fun, but really I love to see when students are successful and having fun in the process!
What do you want others to know about the class?
This class is for everyone! AND JVA has guitars that you can rent if you don’t have your own! If you are looking for an elective in music, give guitar a try!! 🙂
Once again thank you Mr. Newland for your time! We’re excited for the music-loving students at JVA to have this opportunity to learn how to play the guitar with Mr. Newland. This is the first year for this elective, and we hope there are many more for future students to enjoy learning and playing the guitar.
