North Adams Elks Support Clarksburg Guitar Program
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| Student Loki was working on "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There is a lot of noise coming out of Mr. Little's classroom these days.
"This is an outlet. This is their place," teacher and program leader Mike Little said. "The kids come in Monday morning and ask 'is it Friday yet.' This is where they want to be. If they want to come in and learn a Radiohead song, they have everything here."
Little said the concept came up after a BAAMS workshop at the school. He said many students wanted a little more music at Clarksburg Elementary.
"We realized then there were a lot of kids who could play, who loved music, but they didn't have an instrument," Little said. "So I started trying to raise some funds, and I had some willing companies, but as the market changed, we just couldn't do it."
During this time, he was in contact with Enya Guitars, who make affordable, durable guitars made out of alternative materials not subject to fluctuations caused by temperature and humidity changes.
Unfortunately, it never came to be.
But after a conversation with fellow educator Chris Caproni, he suggested speaking with the Elks and giving it another go.
"We had a chat, and they said they could help," Little said. "They thought it was a good idea. This would not be possible without them."
The Elks donated nearly $3,000. Enya honored a discontinued discount that allowed Little to purchase 12 guitars.
The program takes place during a free period every Friday. The seven or so kids enrolled in the program unzipped guitar cases and began tuning their instruments.
Little utilizes Google Classrooms, packed with different modules. Included is a growing library of easy-to-play songs as well as lessons that point students toward proper technique.
"We have simple-to-play songs and basic things like how to hold a pick, how to tune a guitar," Little said. "Kids have different interests, and I wanted to make sure everyone that came in had something. I have it set up so it touches a bunch of different bases."
One student, Loki, loves Metallica, so Little loaded up some simplified Metallica songs. On Friday, Loki was working on "Nothing Else Matters."
"I can't really do it the way I want to do it at the speed I want to do it," Loki Swegel said. "I don't have the chops yet. Guitar is one of the three instruments I want to learn before actually getting in a band: guitar, bass and drums."
Little weaves throughout the classroom, helping students in any way he can.
"I try to help them out and foster it," Little said. "I am not an active guitar player anymore. I am more centered with words but show them what I can. Some of these kids live for Friday…I'm just the ambassador, and I'm hoping to bring in some of the really great local players around and give the kids a taste of that."
Little said he also stresses proper fundamentals and mechanics.
"I want the kids to relax when they play. Some kids pick up the guitar neck for the first time and grip it like they are shoveling dirt," he said. "You know that Deep Purple song ‘Hard Road (Wring that Neck)'? That is a cool song, but don't hurt yourself."
He said some students have some musical experience, but it is brand-new for many. He said students quickly learn that a lot goes into becoming proficient on the instrument.
"They start to realize that there are extra things they need to practice to be able to do or play the things they want to play," he said.
Student Reighan Douglas said that is why he is here: to learn the basics.
"It is good to learn all about the basics and simple chords," he said.
Luckily, students always have access to the Google Classroom and can practice whenever they can get their hands on a guitar. It also includes some guitar history lessons if they want to learn more about the actual instrument and its anatomy.
Little said in a few weeks, students have gone from knowing nothing about guitar to being able to play a song or two.
The program is not a class and is not designed with any specific education goals or outcomes in mind. It was created as a creative play zone to foster a love for music and a depressurized explorative zone.
"You can take a conservatory approach, but that is another class during the school day," he said. "We have enough of that."
In the future, he hopes to bring in more kids and work on ensemble pieces. He also hopes to bring in more students with other musical talents and open up the space for jam sessions.
"Kids are coming out of the woodwork…just because it is called the guitar program doesn't mean it can't be a music program," Little said.
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