Liturgical
Guitarist
STM Christian/folk guitar
My credentials: Over the years at STM, many students have asked if I would teach guitar
lessons. Until now, I have always declined. Recently, I came up with a solution that will allow me
to teach guitar to up to 10 students, and not sacrifice hours and hours of my personal time: a
guitar class. I have sufficient experience to successfully teach such a class. My first degree in
1976 was in guitar and guitar teaching. I have previously taught guitar classes at 2 community
colleges and at the St. Cecilia Institute here in Omaha.
Student commitment: Students are expected to commit to attend class each week it is held.
Learning to play any instrument is a serious commitment of time and money. I usually don't
teach beginners because many lose interest when they find out how challenging it can be and
how many hours they will need to practice. Students should realize they must practice 20 - 30
minutes each day to keep up with the class content. To be frank, I don't want their money unless
they are progressing on the guitar, and they must practice to progress.
Should your child learn guitar now? If your child is involved in multiple extracurricular
activities, I would be wary of adding the guitar as an additional activity. If they are that busy, but
want to learn guitar bad enough to drop one of their current activities, then they may have
enough desire to learn the instrument. They will need that desire to carry them through much of
the early practice, which can at times seem rather boring (and even painful until they develop
calluses on their fingers).
Guitar quality: One item I insist on is that students have a playable guitar. I received my first
guitar on my 8th birthday. It was a low quality guitar that was unplayable and came from a Sears
catalogue. My parents did not know any better, as non guitarists. As a result, I didn't learn to
play guitar when I was a child. Rather, I was 20 when I first purchased a higher quality student
model and began learning guitar. There are several factors that can influence a guitar's quality.
If the frets are not placed exactly right on the neck, the guitar will never play in tune. If the neck is
warped, bowed, or twisted, there will be buzzes and/or the strings will be to high to depress
cleanly and without pain. These days, it seems every discount or department store has a nice
looking guitar in a box for $79. I would be wary of buying one of these. For around $100 you can
buy a good student model at Russo's Guitar Center or at Dietz Music. Both of these stores will
make any necessary adjustments at no cost during the first year of ownership to insure the
guitar's playability. If you call me, I can even give you the name and working hours of a salesman
at one of these stores that will include a 5% discount if you mention my name when purchasing
the guitar.
Parents, please feel free to email me or talk to me by phone (402-715-5003;
jim@liturgicalguitarist.com) if you have questions about purchasing a guitar. Non guitarists,
although well intentioned, do not always know what to look for when purchasing a guitar. I am
always glad to provide any help or advice. As mentioned in the school newsletter, unless the
guitar is purchased from an actual music store that stands behind their product, I must
personally inspect each student's guitar for playability before they can be admitted into the
class. Learning the guitar is challenging enough on a playable instrument. It is really worth the
effort and time to make sure a good quality instrument is selected for your child's use.
What kind/size of guitar to purchase? I will only teach students with acoustic guitars - no
electrics allowed. There are 2 basic types of acoustics: steel string and nylon string. Steel
strings, which is what I play at church and school, are more popular in country and pop music,
but the strings are more painful for beginners until they have developed calluses. With regular
practice, their fingers should toughen up after the first month. Nylon strings are usually used for
classical and flamenco guitar, but are much less painful at the start. These guitars have wider
necks, which can be difficult for children's small hands. Guitars also vary in size. Full sized
guitars can be large for small children to hold, but 1/2 and 3/4 sized guitars will need to be
replaced when small children outgrow them. The best choice for a guitar depends on your
child's body size and musical goals.
Class materials and support: I will provide students with copies of any lesson materials and
a 3-ring binder they can use to organize their music. Content will be taught in a singing
environment, as I teach guitar chords and finger picking patterns. As students learn, they will
play  progressively more complex Christian (and occasionally folk) songs.  I will also videotape
the key elements of each lesson and post the video to YouTube after the lesson so students can
remember the key content covered each week.
Class day/ time: Classes will be held each Wednesday beginning January 11 and ending
April 25 . Each class will begin promptly begin at 3:30 p.m., and will end at 4:30 p.m. I will be in
my classroom before class time begins and students should plan to arrive a little early, using the
time between 3:15 to 3:30 to tune their guitars (I will help them with this) and have their
materials ready to begin class on time.
Selection process: Parents of students in grades 3 - 8 should contact me by phone or email.
Once it has been determined that the student has a suitable guitar, I will put them on a list. If
more than 10 students are interested, I will have to make some decisions. I may decide to
increase the class size if only 11 or 12. If more, I will prioritize which students get a slot based
on age (older students would have priority in this case) and participation in the Youth Choir
(giving students who have shown previous interest in music priority in this case). Hopefully I will
be able to accommodate all who are interested.
Behavior expectation: I assume students who sign up for this class do so because they really
want to learn the instrument and will be intrinsically motivated to do so. Misconduct or
distractions will not be tolerated, and students who cause disruptions that pose a problem for
the rest of the class will, after the second parent consultation, be dropped from the class.
Payment: The cost for each class will be $10.00. Students are expected to commit to attend
class each week it is held. Full payment (in cash or by check only) for each month is due at the
first class of the month. Any student who has not made their monthly payment by the 3rd week of
the month will be dropped from class. Any class cancellations on my part will be fully refunded or
credited toward the next month's fees. No refunds will be provided for any student absences.
Communication: Students/parents should have access to email so they can receive materials
and notes from me. Students should have access to the Internet to be able to view the weekly
lesson review video posted on YouTube to help remind them of key content covered each week.
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