I greatly appreciated your recent article on Guitars in the Classroom [“Striking a Chord,” August/September]. I first realized the tremendous kid-appeal of music when I walked into a classroom with my guitar in 1972, and I’ve been teaching with music ever since.
With so many districts cutting budgets for music programs, school music is highly endangered. The Guitars in the Classroom approach empowers teachers who want to bring the joy of music into the lives of their students. In addition to the positive classroom atmosphere that music creates, it is a powerful way to support academic learning. I’ve used songs to teach everything from geography to basic math facts and have recorded two math-and-music CDs of my own.
Thanks for reminding us that education can be more than dreary “drill and kill.”
Carl M. Sherrill
Calistoga, California
