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Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit program
operating under the auspices of the Community Intiatives Fund of the San Francisco Foundation,
with headquarters in Solana Beach, California and programs operating in twenty states.
Guitars in the Classroom inspires, trains and equips K-8 classroom teachers and early childhood
educators to integrate singing and playing guitar into children's daily school experiences in
service of learning across the curriculum. By providing easy music, guitar and singing
instruction, access to instruments, resource materials, and program supervision, Guitars in the
Classroom (GITC) empowers educators of children birth to fourteen to transform their classrooms
into musical environments in which childhood creativity is nurtured and embraced. GITC programs
provide free, daily music making opportunities to all students in participating classrooms,
including many who would not otherwise have this opportunity. It is GITC's mission to develop
and sustain these regional programs for educators, students and communities from coast-to-coast.
Each program is run by trained GITC instructors and is designed to help classroom teachers:
I: Provide a learning environment that encourages children to
draw upon their multiple intelligences, with special emphasis on developing and using musical means
of learning and self expression.
II: Provide teachers and schools with new teaching tools that
develop musicality, auditory learning skills, and musical appreciation while enriching the curriculum
in order to engage student interest, boost student motivation to learn, and support compliance with
curricular learning standards.
III: Build a means through which Spanish speaking children can
develop their command of the English language through music, while their English speaking classmates
concurrently develop greater Spanish skills and an appreciation for Spanish language and music.
IV: Build a means through which children of different cultures
and backgrounds can communicate and establish common ground.
V: Encourage family involvement by scheduling special events and
workshops designed to foster an understanding of music and its value to education
Since 2001, Guitars in the Classroom has received annual support from GAMA. These funds have
helped GITC start new programs while developing three models of instruction: Strum & Sing for working
classroom teachers, GITC-ECE for early childhood educators, and Oaks & Acorns for primary classrooms
and senior citizens. GITC's fourth model GITC-Up (University Programs) focuses on training student teachers
in credentialing programs, and that model's development is funded by the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts.
In January 2007, as it has done for the past two years, GAMA generously granted GITC $10,000.
This year, the grant monies will be used to help GITC seed five Strum & Sing programs in new regions, create outreach
materials, and to develop fundamental grant writing materials to support GITC's 35 regionally based faculty members
to become successful local grantwriters for their own local programs.
To learn more about Guitars in the Classroom visit their website at:
www.guitarsintheclassroom.org.
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