This is a guitar class designed for adults who have never played guitar before.  The strength of this program is its accessibility. Participants learn guitar by playing recognizable songs in the context of a group jam. They begin with simple licks and play alongside the instructor, who performs a fuller, more advanced version of the song. This allows participants to experience the satisfaction of making real music almost immediately. As their skills develop, they learn increasingly complex parts. 

The goal of this class is to form an ensemble, build a shared repertoire of songs, and develop the skills and confidence needed to perform together.  Once the band is ready, they would be able to perform at functions within the prison, if that is something that aligns with the goals and vision of the Community Resource Manager (CRM) office and the broader institution.  

Participants develop skills in ensemble performance, music theory, singing, improvisation, and basic music reading as well as soft skills that are needed to perform in an ensemble like communication and collaboration.

Song writing is an especially good fit for adult learners, particularly in institutional settings.   The art of songwriting is much more dependent on your perspective, life experience, and ability to tell a story rather than on you're technical skill.  Pop music is full of examples of artists who were not great technical players, but were great storytellers and communicators.  Bob Dylan and the Ramones just to name a few. 

Here is one example of a songwriting lesson that does not require any prior music making experience or even instruments. 

Step 1:

Everyone does a 5 minute free write, based on a prompt provided by the teacher.   

Step 2:

Participants share their free write with the group.  While a participant is sharing their free write, the other participants write down a short sentence, a turn of phrase or idea they thought was particularly strong or impactful.  

Step 3:

After everyone has shared, we take turns sharing some of the turns of phrases and sentences we wrote down. We then as a group choose 3 to 4 phrases to focus on.  

Step 4:

Participants are then given the assignment to coming up with 5 words that rhyme with the last word of our chosen phrases.  For example maybe one of the chosen phrases was ‘slow and steady wins the race’.  5 rhyming words might be pace, just in case, stand in place, erase, grace. 

Step 5:

Participants then share these rhymes with the groups and as a group we start writing lyrics for the song. 

Step 6:

At this point the teacher plays several chord progressions and the group chooses which one seems to fit the general attitude and mood of our song.  We then, through guided group discussion, allow the structure, content and lyrics of our song to take shape.  This type of process can be done in a number of genres including rock, folk, hip hop and RnB.