KinderGuitar’s curriculum was developed to teach young children guitar and overall musicianship skills. There are many reasons that guitar makes an excellent beginning instrument: its global popularity, the flexibility of its repertoire, its affordability, and its portability, to name a few. Yet KinderGuitar teachers hope not only to teach children guitar but also to help them develop an appreciation for music. KinderGuitar’s guiding philosophy is that every child should have music in their lives because music enriches their lives and the lives of those around them.
By adapting, expanding, and integrating successful ideas and methods from pedagogues who have specialized in teaching children music, KinderGuitar’s systematic approach is age appropriate and insures easy success for students while maintaining the flexibility to reach all types of learning styles and abilities. See an overview of the KinderGuitar curriculum here, as a PDF.
The Story of KinderGuitar
The KinderGuitar curriculum was created by Leonardo Garcia, an award-winning classical guitarist who holds three advanced music degrees from Yale University and the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1999, emerging from the conservatories with degrees in hand but no clear way to use them, Leo opened a small studio in Oakland, California to teach guitar and music to young children. Leo had always been passionate about the importance of music in children’s lives
and quickly found that he loved the work, but just as quickly he found that the available material for working with young children on guitar was scant, frustrating, and utterly deficient. He set out to create his own curriculum and teaching method, and as its popularity grew he soon found out that he had to turn away more students than he could teach. Leo then decided to find a way to help other talented musicians use KinderGuitar’s curriculum and method to share their gifts and knowledge with the children in their communities.
About Leonardo Garcia
Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, award-winning guitarist Leonardo Garcia has performed in North America, South America, and Europe. In 1993, Leo graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Yale University where he also studied music and Spanish literature. Afterwards, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters in Music in 1995 and then the prestigious Artist Diploma in 1996. Leo also became the first recipient of the coveted Eliot Fisk Prize in 1996. After Yale, he was invited to continue his studies with Eliot Fisk at the New England Conservatory, which he completed in 1999. Upon moving to Northern California, Leo founded KinderGuitar, a music education program dedicated entirely to educating very young children through the guitar. As an active educator, Leo has worked with hundreds of children hoping to enrich their lives with music.