University of St. Thomas

The purpose of this study was to research classroom guitar instructional strategies, as well as the history of the use of instruments in the elementary general music classroom. Kodály principles applied in the project include a focus on child-development instructional practices as well as the inclusion of folk music.  Classroom guitar instruction principles applied include the addition of popular music repertoire, a focus on musical notation, and beginning instruction from the level of students’ musicianship, rather than beginning anew. The resulting information was then applied to a Kodály-inspired sixth grade general music classroom, creating a scope and sequence, repertoire lists, and lesson plans for beginning guitar instruction.