Musician, composer and teacher Brad Richter developed the Lead Guitar program in an effort establish permanent classical guitar classes in public schools with low access to the arts. The master instructors use the Lead Guitar field-tested curriculum to teach students to play and to train teachers to teach classical guitar. This co-teaching method between a Lead Guitar instructor and a school’s Teacher-of-Record ensures not only the short-term quality, but the long-term sustainability, of the program. In 2017, Mendocino Middle School charged teacher Alex Fosse to develop the Lead Guitar program under mentors Brad Richter and Jaxon Williams. Twenty-three students are currently enrolled in the program.
Lead Guitar Introductory Video
It’s a fact. Students who participate in school music programs have better attendance, make better grades, and are more likely to attend college and have more lucrative careers than students who do not participate in school music programs.
Using music and an instrument to which young people relate well, Lead Guitar students learn technique, music reading, theory, performance skills and ensemble playing. They develop their self-discipline, self-esteem and ability to work as a team – attributes that help them realize success throughout their lives.
By developing a program that mirrors the curricular integrity of the best band and orchestra programs, but appeals to students not traditionally drawn to those programs, Lead Guitar offers all of the benefits of a high quality instrumental music education to thousands of students who would otherwise not receive them.
See Drew Skylar Davis of Mendocino School District exercising below…
GRAVITY of GRACE 