BROWSE OUR FREE FALL MUSIC LEADERSHIP COURSES
HERE
ENROLLMENT IS OPEN
What is Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom? (GITC)
GITC Trains Educators to Sing, Play, Compose, & Teach Every Subject
Through the Power of Song!
Through the Power of Song!
Please join us for a relaxing musical community gathering on Saturday, October 19th
Please hang out with us Saturday, October 19th at Bivouac Ciderworks on 30th and Lincoln. Come and enjoy a delicious meal, a flight of unique ciders, and the beautiful and comfortable environment of their Adventure Lodge! This is a wonderful venue with the music playing in the background performed by Bruce Robbins. Bruce plays so many favorite folk and folk-rock songs, welcomes us to sing along, and he takes requests!
Admission is free of charge but we appreciate donations to Bruce's tip jar to help fund our local programs.
For a sneak peak, join Bruce this Saturday in the company of friends from around the country when he plays Live on YouTube from 5:30- 8:30 pm Pacific Time!
Admission is free of charge but we appreciate donations to Bruce's tip jar to help fund our local programs.
For a sneak peak, join Bruce this Saturday in the company of friends from around the country when he plays Live on YouTube from 5:30- 8:30 pm Pacific Time!
OUR MISSION: Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom is dedicated to expanding the role of music in education, and to elevating student engagement in all learning through the integration of joyful, inclusive, hands-on musical learning with academic and social-emotional development, during the school day and beyond.
OUR WORK: We pursue our mission by training, equipping, and inspiring educators, specialists, school staff, and support service providers to create and lead music in their classrooms, and after school, too, with ukuleles, guitars, percussion, kazoos, songwriting, and songs for learning.
OUR TEACHING APPROACH: Our unique work is based on child development, child psychology, and learning theory which support all learners to succeed. Everyone develops their musical skills together, collaborating in partners, small teams, and large groups. This inclusive, teacher-led approach builds classroom community and helps students develop self-expression, active listening, open-mindedness, self-awareness, empathy, authenticity and creative problem solving skills. Students are motivated to participate fully, gaining confidence, musicality, critical reasoning, literacy, and math skills through shared creativity. Training, equipping, and coaching teachers to lead the way is where it all begins.
OUR VISION: We envision the time when all students have free access to learning through music as a vital part of their academic education and social emotional development. We aim to make developmental music leadership training available to education professionals of all stripes, wherever they serve, through virtual and in-person instruction, and to support musical learning opportunities for students from preschool through high school, during and beyond the school day.
OUR SERVICES: We also provide capacity-building classroom teaching artist residencies for teachers with their students, and specialized services in adaptive music, after school music clubs, departmental and schoolwide trainings, and local, state-wide, and national conference presentations.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE! Our work is supported by tax-deductible, individual donations, charitable contributions and community giving, foundation grants, sponsors, school districts, federal funding, and parents who understand the power of music to support children's well-being, social-emotional development, and success in school.
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Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom is immensely grateful to the San Diego Foundation for creating this video about our work!
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+19,000
educators trained since 2000 |
40
states are represented by the educators who are training in our programs |
24
years bringing music to cross curricular learning from coast to coast |
+260,000
students receive free musical learning through GITC each school year |
WHY GITC?
Through music, students are connecting to the material with every part of themselves. Our educators report back that the GITC approach improves student enthusiasm, engagement, literacy, academics, and social-emotional awareness.
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Get Started
I'm An Educator
I want to bring music to my district, school, classroom, or special learning environment!
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I'm An Advocate
Sing it loud, I believe in music and I'm proud! I'm ready to learn how to get involved and be a part of the solution.
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I'm a Parent/Guardian
I want my children to learn to make music at school or online.
How do I get started? |
How We Serve
GITC is a 23 year old 501(c)3 nonprofit, funded by grants and individual, community, and corporate donations. We have trained over 18,000 educators to teach through the power of song in 39 states since 2000. They are collectively reaching well over a million students with free music during the school day.
In 2021 we added after school music clubs for students in San Diego, California with support from the San Diego Foundation through the pandemic recovery program here in our hometown called Level Up San Diego.
GITC professional development (PD) courses train education professionals to become capable and confident song leaders for learning. The academic focus of our work integrating songs for learning during the school day includes literacy, math, science, social studies, and social emotional learning. At no cost to the individual participants in our trainings, we offer these courses in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. Most GITC PDs take place virtually after school with a few on weekends.
With weekly, ongoing classes and sequential levels of training, they learn to engage students in all of these subjects through classroom strumming, singing, and collaborative student songwriting.
In California, we also provide co-teaching artist classroom residencies for participating, highly engaged educators. These can be supported by school districts, individual schools, grants, or contributions.
GITC programs make learning fun, inspiring, and memorable for teachers and students of all abilities. These include programs for English language learners as well as for students in in-person and virtual settings.
GITC is a 23 year old 501(c)3 nonprofit, funded by grants and individual, community, and corporate donations. We have trained over 18,000 educators to teach through the power of song in 39 states since 2000. They are collectively reaching well over a million students with free music during the school day.
In 2021 we added after school music clubs for students in San Diego, California with support from the San Diego Foundation through the pandemic recovery program here in our hometown called Level Up San Diego.
GITC professional development (PD) courses train education professionals to become capable and confident song leaders for learning. The academic focus of our work integrating songs for learning during the school day includes literacy, math, science, social studies, and social emotional learning. At no cost to the individual participants in our trainings, we offer these courses in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. Most GITC PDs take place virtually after school with a few on weekends.
With weekly, ongoing classes and sequential levels of training, they learn to engage students in all of these subjects through classroom strumming, singing, and collaborative student songwriting.
In California, we also provide co-teaching artist classroom residencies for participating, highly engaged educators. These can be supported by school districts, individual schools, grants, or contributions.
GITC programs make learning fun, inspiring, and memorable for teachers and students of all abilities. These include programs for English language learners as well as for students in in-person and virtual settings.
PLEASE GIVE HERE TO CHANGE LIVES
Our Core Values
Creativity, Integrity,
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Cross-Curricular Learning,
Caring & Respect
Well-Being for All Students & Educators
Creativity, Integrity,
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Cross-Curricular Learning,
Caring & Respect
Well-Being for All Students & Educators
When teachers become comfortable enough to begin leading songs for learning, they report that student enthusiasm, engagement, literacy and academic skills, and social-emotional awareness improve. Eventually most also begin teaching ukulele or guitar as a part of daily learning. We help them procure instruments thanks to our awesome sponsors! Students begin strumming, singing and songwriting together and this joyful approach to learning together often inspires an upbeat and artistic shift in school culture.
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OFFERING MUSICAL TRAINING ALSO REQUIRES SUPPLIES!
With help from contributors and sponsors, GITC places instruments in their hands along with resources to acquire more so that each student can learn to strum and sing at school. Teachers are not asked to pay this, ever. We help them find resources and give everything we can. Your donations make this possible! Through GITC's free, inclusive approach, every student in participating classrooms learns to make music with their teacher.
With help from contributors and sponsors, GITC places instruments in their hands along with resources to acquire more so that each student can learn to strum and sing at school. Teachers are not asked to pay this, ever. We help them find resources and give everything we can. Your donations make this possible! Through GITC's free, inclusive approach, every student in participating classrooms learns to make music with their teacher.
Music Education with Music Integration - An Interdependent Vision
GITC believes that every student deserves a well-rounded education including weekly music integration for cross-curricular learning and also instruction in music taught by a credentialed music educator. We invite you to read up on the multitude of benefits in our blogs and also visit the NAMM Foundation website for music advocacy.
GITC stands with districts dedicated to strengthening their music education programs. We offer music faculties free training in our approach and select from among the participating music specialists, compassionate and patient instructors to teach music integration with GITC to their colleagues. When music specialists and classroom teachers team up, they can build a culture of music together where hearts, minds, hands and hallways are filled with song.
GITC stands with districts dedicated to strengthening their music education programs. We offer music faculties free training in our approach and select from among the participating music specialists, compassionate and patient instructors to teach music integration with GITC to their colleagues. When music specialists and classroom teachers team up, they can build a culture of music together where hearts, minds, hands and hallways are filled with song.
Contact Us
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Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom
National Headquarters Mailing Address: 1286 University Ave, #389 San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 840-1010 [email protected] |
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