GITC PROGRAMS:
A Comprehensive Approach

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AFTER SCHOOL
​​GITC offers free, weekly after school music leadership classes for teachers, teacher aides, school specialists, classroom volunteers and classified staff. Everyone is welcome. No one is turned away.  We believe any adult who has a positive experience of making music can become "that special person" who helps a child discover their voice.  We are determined to make sure every teacher who wants to learn to incorporate music as a teaching strategy gets that chance.

Please read more about each specific model in the dropdown menu bar. 
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TEACHING ARTIST RESIDENCIES
For teachers who take our afterschool classes or workshops,        GITC offers teaching artist residencies for highly engaged classroom teachers in our programs. These residencies have only been part of GITC for three years and are currently focused in Southern California. Our hope is to build the residency program nationally over time. The residencies focus on student singing, songwriting and strumming ukuleles for literacy and learning. They can last between 3 and 20 weeks depending on interest and funding. Our highly qualified teaching artists visit residency classrooms once a week and co-teach literacy and academics through music with the classroom educator, helping them develop music leadership skills. At the end of the residency, students can strum and sing, and teachers can teach through the power of song!
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MUSIC FACULTY TRAINING WORKSHOPS
In addition to making music part of learning in general elementary classrooms, GITC trains music teachers to play and incorporate ukulele and guitar as a part of their general Tk-8 music classes. We are often asked to work with an entire music faculty for a school district. These trainings are hand tailored to meet the goals of the music department. From within the group of certificated music teachers who train with GITC, we seek individuals with a passion for sharing the music with their colleagues in the general classroom. In this way, GITC forges and nurtures deep and meaningful relationships between music educators and general educators, expanding the role of music in schools. This kind of creative relationship breaks down barriers and helps music flow throughout the school day and across the curriculum!
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​GITC TEACHES LEADERSHIP
Students in GITC classrooms become enthusiastic music makers when their music educator trains and supports their regular classroom teachers to make singing and strumming a part of daily learning. These teachers who may never have played a note in their lives become fearless music leaders for learning given expert instruction, time, care and encouragement. Students are their biggest fans and tell them everyday that they are rock stars! Through this honest relationship, students discover their own potential to lead the way for friends and family members beyond the classroom ​
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Weekly TEACHING ARTIST RESIDENCIES
​for individual teachers and their classrooms
Serving 2-4 teachers per school site could be:
  • A short term project focused residency includes 3-4 visits.
  • A gradual sequential release coaching residency includes 6-9 visits.
  • A long term co-teaching residency include 12-20 visits.
WHY DOES GITC TEACH WEEKLY?
Some organizations offer teachers a weekend workshop or week-long class once a year and they charge teachers for their services. Not GITC. We choose to take a road less traveled by offering weekly classes for educators, staff and specialists because musicality takes time to grow. Workshops give inspiration and a nice launch but what then? We provide beginners with the time and support they need to learn at their own pace.

WHY IS GITC FREE TO TEACHERS?
We've learned that almost 60% of GITC teachers can participate because the classes are free for them. Teachers are underpaid and they appreciate getting a chance to learn without a financial struggle. The cost of instruments and supplies could be prohibitive for most. But thanks to some very compassionate and smart people, these are covered through charitable donations and sponsorships from contributors, business sponsors and fabulous foundations!  The truth is that teachers contribute by volunteering their precious time, energy and talent. Those who show up are not there for a pay bump - they attend because music matters a lot to them. If a district can fund the teachers to participate, we are glad to oblige, but this is more often the exception than the rule. We hope someday that schools have enough arts funding to support all interested teachers to receive music integration training with GITC!
CAN ANYONE HELP START A GITC PROGRAM?
Yes, anyone who is deeply interested in bringing this work to education in their community can help get a program started. It takes a village to raise a program! Whether you are a teacher, administrator, parent, musician, music teacher, therapist or donor, you can play an important role in establishing GITC where you are. Please reach out to us to brainstorm the process. Together we will look for the best fit for your district, qualify and train the right faculty trainer, establish a host school, and lay the foundation for the new program. This does take time, energy, money and elbow grease but it's all worth it when the program launches!
TO BRING GITC TO YOUR DISTRICT
​When a school district or individual public school asks to host GITC, then interested teachers are invited to voluntarily sign up for a workshop or to enroll in a class that meets each week after school. No musical experience is required. Our methods are quite easy for beginners to learn. Each teacher receives a ukulele to keep and a guitar they can borrow long term. We teach them to sing, play, write and lead songs for learning, and how to facilitate making music with their students. While the teachers gain music and leadership skills, they co-write songs that correspond to their current curriculum and they create musically infused lesson plans.