By Jess Baron | Executive Director
We wish you a happy Thanksgiving, right around the corner, and will share a very special story in this report. But before we do, please know that the after-school Guitar Clubs in San Diego and Guitar and Ukulele Clubs in Los Angeles are going better than ever. We continue to add schools and will be reaching about 300 students this year. We've documented the approach, added two new instructors, one in each district, to handle the requests from low income and continuation high schools.
Keeping the promise to get each student their own guitar is a big lift for a little org. Thanks to everyone who has donated, and to folks who have rehomed their old guitars with our charity! That has been a lifesaver. At this time, we have literally run out of guitars because the clubs are bursting at the seams. We need to purchase 20 more to gift to students in need in December so if you can chip in a few dollars to help us meet that goal, it would be a real godsend. That said, here is the story!
On November 8, LJ, master of the fingerstyle guitar, and former guitarist for Wings with Paul McCartney, spent a day inspiring and educating the community with us in San Diego. He started the day with an early morning visit to the local KUSI Newsroom (see the link), and went right on to teaching a dazzling master class at Hoover High School, giving our Guitar Club students a first-hand experience of greatness- and great advice!
Collaborating with our district's department of Visual and Performing Arts, we invited every music student at Hoover to join our Hoover Guitar Club students for a brilliant hour of guidance, jawdropping performance, and frank conversation. The artist arrived to a packed house!
LJ shared about his storied career, and the many opportunities available for excellent guitarists to earn a living, demonstrating and inspiring students with his powerful yet delicate guitar interpretations. You can watch the linked videos to see for yourself.
The biggest aha's came when he listed the films, television shows, and video games for which he played guitar. This helped to teens see this elder as very relevant indeed. We don't know which credit got more astonishment- his work on the soundtrack for Pochahontas or Super Mario Brothers! When LJ shared about his daughter, Ilsey's phenomenal career, and mentioned that she wrote the hit "High Hopes" for Panic at the Disco, among many other hits, and this put the reality of shaping a modern career in music that much closer. Students went from curious to ecstatic, an extraordinary transformation.
We are immensely grateful to LJ for caring for our mission and contributing to our efforts for the past 24 years. He has gone out of his way time and again, to make a difference for young people learning with Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom, changing many lives. Please enjoy one of his performance pieces and visit his website to learn more!
Thank you for giving kids a chance to bring music into their lives now and in the future with your contributions,
Jess
Links:
By Dan Decker | GITC Director of Strum and Sing
By Jessica Baron | Executive Director
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