Congratulations to Michael O'Brien and his Morse High School students

This is an extra special blog as you will see. We are sending a big CONGRATULATIONS to GITC teaching artist, Michael O'Brien and his phenomenal Morse High School students who just graduated from a full year of free guitar learning in our afterschool Strummers Club! Most started the year as total beginners, learning about this glorious instrument and how to hold, strum, pluck, and play notes, chords, and songs independently and together. A few club members started the year with some informal, self-taught ability, and Michael taught them the theory and skills they needed to understand and build upon those basics. Everyone learned to play songs on acoustic guitars first, and then the whole club explored learning to play electric guitar, thanks to Mike's wide-ranging knowledge, caring, and heartfelt interest in his students, their musical interests, and their special qualities. 

The students were so touched by Michael's honesty, kindness, and commitment that several of them surprised him with truly endearing thank you notes - a guitar teacher's dream.  

Thank you to program coordinator Desiree Romero, champion of GITC Guitar Clubs in San Diego, and to onsite facilitator, Jaime Walker, and Morse Guitar Club's incredible faculty sponsor, Theater teacher and actor, Rebecca Rankin. It took a village to  bring the music, and that village also includes the Guitar Center Music Foundation, the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, and every donor who makes it possible to award deserving high school Guitar Club students with instruments of their own. Without all of you, these students would not have found their guitarist voices, developed their musicianship together, or been heading into summer with their own beautiful instruments! Thank you from the bottom of our guitar-loving hearts! 

💗💗💗

Jess, Gail, Tanya, Ben, and Debi

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