Guitar expo at Scotia-Glenville High School brings together young musicians
During the first guitar expo held at Scotia-Glenville High School Thursday, Jan. 14, students met and collaborated with others who have the same interest.
Scotia-Glenville Guidance Director Kimberlee Shartrand has been working to make the guitar expo a reality for the past two years, realizing that many of the 165 students she gives guidance to on a daily basis were guitar enthusiasts but did not know many others in the school that shared their hobby.
I was really impressed by the talent pool we had, said Shartrand. `The more experienced players did not disclude the younger, less experienced players.`
Working with students enrolled in the music theory class at the high school, Shartrand started promoting and setting aside time in classrooms for the event in November and helped to bring in local community members and music teachers from the high school and middle school to give lessons on proper care of the instruments.
`I was surprised how many people played guitar and the different styles of music,` said senior Will Clune, who plays jazz and blues on his Gibson electric. `It was nice to see people you could play with and play with others instead of just friends.`
Clune said that the experience re-sparked his interest in the guitar, since varsity sports and work as a student has taken up much of his time recently. He plans to go on to college, not for music particularly, but he said he would like to be able to take guitar lessons to forward his own goals of playing.
Students that participated in the guitar expo jammed on acoustic and electric guitars and bass.
Students worked together in the jam sessions, learning from each other and meeting new people that they would have otherwise not have expected to have the same interests as themselves. Shartrand said that many of the students could have sat next to one another in class all semester and not have known that they had the same interest.
Shartrand also used the event to encourage students to work in a professional learning community that infuses critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to promote a connection with other students with the same interests.
`We’re the conduit to make the connection,` she said.
Shartrand said she hopes to increase the participation in coming years from 30 to 60 students and has been asked to make connections between the high school and middle school with this program, bringing a similar program to a younger audience.
Ben Wagner, a junior at Scotia-Glenville High School, said he first became interested in playing the guitar through video games like Guitar Hero. He has now moved onto influences like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy for inspiration.
`Life would be incredibly boring without music,` said Wagner. `Playing fills in the blanks.`
Joya Clark, a senior who would like to attend Norwich University upon graduation, said that she plays her acoustic Harmony guitar for relaxation after years of watching others play at Camp Fowler in Lake Pleasant. For her, the expo taught her better ways to take care of her guitar and meet others with an interest in her hobby.
`Music is a part of life. You can’t understand life without music,` said Clark.
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