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  • Home
  • ABOUT US
    • History
    • Our Director
    • OUR STAFF
    • Our BOARD
    • FACULTY TRAINERS & TEACHING ARTISTS
    • POLICIES
      • Health Policy
      • Code of Ethics Policy
      • Child Safeguarding Policy
      • WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY
      • Donor Privacy Policy
      • Gift Acceptance Policy
    • HELPFUL MUSIC STORES
    • Contact Us
  • LEARN WITH GITC
    • TRAINING for EDUCATORS
    • Early Childhood Education
      • SAN DIEGO ECE REGISTRATION
    • CLASSROOM TEACHING ARTIST RESIDENCIES
    • ADAPTIVE MUSIC FOR INCLUSION
    • MUSIC EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS
    • AFTER SCHOOL STRUMMERS CLUBS
    • SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
    • Become a Trainer
    • West Music Store
  • SUPPORT
    • Different Ways to Support GITC
    • FOUNDATIONS
    • Sponsors
    • Contributors
    • Volunteers
  • Press, Events, & Blog
    • Blog
    • PRESS
    • Testimonials
  • DONATE

Announcing a New
In-Person ECE Workshop
December 13, 2025
for Early Childhood Educators,
Early Learning Education Students,
Caregivers & Classroom Volunteers

No Experience Necessary for Your
First Total Beginner Workshop!

Seats are limited, first come first served

Already take a class with GITC?
Join us for the afternoon Winter Song Circle for Continuing GITC Teachers!

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Thank you, NAMM Foundation for 21 years of support!

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Also made possible with generous support from 
and these amazing program supporters!

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REGISTER WITH A COLLEAGUE FOR GREATER IMPACT

Got Questions for GITC? 
​Please email us at [email protected]

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Need a scholarship ukulele or a loaner guitar to take a Total Beginner class?
​Please FILL OUT THE REQUEST FORM when you register.

SIGN UP for YOUR CLASS HERE
WANT TO SUPPORT US? DONATIONS ARE WELCOME AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION. REGISTER HERE!

FOR BEGINNERS & OTHERS SHOPPING FOR YOUR OWN GUITAR OR UKE

We encourage teachers to shop at your local music store for an instrument if possible.
Local music shops need our support, and many offer special services!
Please let the store manager know you are in education,
ask if they can offer you an educator discount.

In San Diego, we safely recommend:
Terry Carter Music Store
El Cajon Guitars and Music

Mark's Guitar Exchange in Point Loma or Chula Vista
and 
Moze Guitars in La Mesa

Know a great local store? Please support them with your business and let us know! 

For the sake of quality, reliability and service, when purchasing an instrument online,
buying from a reputable music store will be safer than buying an unknown brand on a large online marketplace.

GITC is sponsored by many musical instrument manufacturers, and several offer GITC teachers a discount.
Want to know more? For help purchasing an instrument or a set of classroom instruments
with GITC discounts, please email us and let us know!

For affordable ukes, we highly recommend Islander, Kala, Cordoba, Diamond Head, Tanglewood,
Enya, Flight and Ohana ukuleles.
For beginner guitars, we recommend checking out Cordoba Protege nylon string guitars in 3/4 and full sizes

Questions? Please write to us at [email protected]. 
​
SIGN UP HERE TO RECEIVE OUR ENEWSLETTERS!

ABOUT GITC COURSES:

Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom (GITC) programs encompass much more than an instrumental approach to beginning guitar and ukulele. 


GITC "SmartStart" Open Tuning approach is available through the book SmartStart Guitar, for sale to the general public from Hal Leonard Publishing.  The book Smartstart Ukulele is available from GITC by request or through Korg/Soundtree.

However, only certificated GITC faculty members teach music integration that includes employing music making and song-based learning to enrich and deepen literacy and math learning, social-emotional growth, cross-curricular connections, and more. If you are looking for an official GITC program, it will be listed on this website or it will be known to us. It must be taught by one of our trained and certified faculty members. Anyone else saying that they are teaching Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom may be using some version of our instrumental approach to teach music in some way. They are not providing endorsed or official GITC training. 

If you want to check on someone's standing with our organization or alert us to possible copycat programs, we ask that you please REACH OUT HERE. Thanks so much for the help keeping our charitable work safe and ensuring the quality of GITC instruction!


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