In February of this year, Adopt-A-School of Beaufort County offered a beginners’ course in the Elements of Guitar at St. Helena Elementary School on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Two fifth-grade students, Kristell Caceres-Jaxcel and Kammeron Houston, were selected to participate based on their interest and promise. Under the guidance of instructors Peter Zamuka and Paul Butare, the students attended a 14-week session which culminated in a guitar and vocal concert performed for teachers, families and friends.

During the course, a first-ever offering by Adopt-A-School, the aspiring musicians were provided acoustic guitars which they could use at school and take home to practice. The instructors, professional musicians with many years’ experience, developed lesson plans to immerse the students in guitar fundamentals: guitar structure, music scales, chords, and progressions.

As the class drew to a close, the students requested the opportunity to showcase their skills in a concert performance on their last day of class. Their instructors were thrilled at the students’ initiative and the last few sessions were spent learning the song “Stand By Me”. On the last day, the audience was captivated as Kristell and Kammeron (aka The K-Tones) combined their newfound guitar skills with a heartfelt vocal performance.

Based upon the success of this beginners’ guitar class, Adopt-A-School plans to offer the course to students in the fall semester of 2023.