After-School Project Spotlight - May 2021

Name

Chelsea

School

Hser Ner Moo Welcoming Center

Grade Levels Served

K-12

What made you want to begin this after-school project?

We wanted to focus on our students' mental health and give them a pathway to release their emotions through playing music. We noticed that our students became distracted easily, and the number of behavior issues has been increasing in our afterschool program during the pandemic. We felt that by learning to play the guitar, they would learn the importance of being patient and gain a stronger sense of concentration. They would have more opportunities to connect with each other through music while following COVID safety guidelines.

What does an average day look like in your after-school project?

The after-school project consists of an hour lesson each week, usually starting with a singalong. The students are asked what song they would like to sing. The instructor then plays the guitar while everyone sings along. Next, the students help each other carefully get their guitars out of their cases, making sure not to drop or damage their guitars. Recently they all learned how to tune their own guitars. Each lesson, they take about 10-15 minutes to tune their own guitars. After their guitars are tuned, we do a refresher session of the chords that they previously learned. The rest of the lesson is for them to learn new chords and practice songs.

How do the students like the project so far?

Students love the guitar lessons. They are always excited and eager to learn, and practice. During lessons, they help one another to take care of their guitars and teach each other chords. They are eager to show each other what they learned. They always jump in to help whenever someone is struggling with learning new chords.