Students at FHN have been working to better their music skills through the offered guitar class that band director Ryan Curtis teaches. Curtis has been teaching the class for the past three years, after moving to North from Lindenwood. When he got the position here as a band director, he felt that he was the best fit to teach the class since he enjoys teaching others how to play various instruments, and has years of experience in musical arts under his belt.
“My favorite thing about teaching the class is just being able to let the students play some recognizable songs,” Curtis said. “Learning where the notes are, and how to transition that into future songs.”
Students in the class are given the opportunity to learn their favorite songs on guitar, even if they have no background playing an instrument. The class is beginner- friendly, starting with the basics of the strings, beginner chords and music theory. As the year progresses, the students will be taught harder chords to play, memorization, more in-depth knowledge of music theory and how to read sheet music as well as tabs.
“No previous experience is required to take the class,” Curtis said. “The hardest thing is just the first initial teaching of rhythms.”
Brisa Dimas, a junior at FHN, started her guitar journey through this class. She had little experience with guitar beforehand, and has been working to better her skills over the past six months. She has noticed visible improvement, and enjoys how she has been able to progress with the help of the class. Now, she can play a few songs she likes, and has a better understanding of how the instrument works.
“I love this class,” Dimas said. “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, but it takes time and patience when you’re learning to play guitar.”
One of Dimas’ favorite things to learn is the chords. Though she started off confused, she quickly learned how to maneuver her hands to properly play each chord without fret buzz or pressing on the wrong string. Something that kids in the class often mess up on is the rhythm and time signatures, since oftentimes beforehand, they weren’t taught them fully.
“I was always taught 4/4 in elementary, but never 3/4,” Dimas said. “It messed me up on a few occasions, but I got the hang of it.”
Students do not need to own thier own guitar to join the class, either. The school provides up to 30 guitars for students to learn on, but they are free to bring thier own from home. Though if they do bring one in, there is no guaranteed safe space for the guitar to be stored, so thay must be sure to keep it somewhere they trust. The class offers one fine arts credit, and is a two-semester course that anyone in any grade can sign up for. If someone is looking to take a fun, easy class, they should talk to their grade level counselor to make sure they secure a spot for next year.
“The students are wonderful,” Curtis said. “And it’s great to have varying abilities of guitar students in class for other students to learn from.”
