four pillars

THE PROBLEM:

Barriers to Music Education

According to a 2022 Arts Education Data Project (AEDP) report, 3,609,698 students in the United States do not have access to music education in school.

Students without access to music education are more likely to be in schools that:
- Are located in major urban areas
- Have a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals
- Have a majority Black, Hispanic, or Native American student population

Research shows that music education can positively impact students and schools, including: better attendance, improved academic performance, increased teacher satisfaction, and improved social-emotional skills like confidence and focus.

THE solution:

Lead Guitar's Four Pillars of Service Model Engages Students, Teachers, Schools, and Their Communities

Classroom Instruction and Curriculum

Direct instruction of students by Lead Guitar Teaching Artists is our core service. It’s an opportunity for students to learn from some of the most experienced guitar instructors in the nation, but Lead Guitar Teaching Artists are also patient mentors who have shown alignment with our mission and empathy for our students through their lived experience. They provide a chance for kids to rewrite their narratives with an adult who is there for them every week, all year long, for up to four consecutive years.

Accredited Professional Development

Lead Guitar Teaching Artists co-teach guitar ensemble classes shoulder-to-shoulder with K-12 school teachers who are learning to play and teach guitar with Lead Guitar. Our Teachers’ Workshops provide formal Professional Development towards promotion and recertification for those K-12 teachers as they master Lead Guitar’s proprietary curriculum and gain the skills and confidence they need to teach guitar class on their own.

In-School Assemblies and We Are Guitar

Global touring guitarists perform for, dialogue with, and inspire students in-person, right at their own school, while our interactive We Are Guitar broadcasts (in partnership with Guitar Salon International) provide an online forum for students nationwide to learn from, interview, and perform with guitar celebrities.

Student Performances

All Lead Guitar students are invited to the campus of a local university to perform for friends and family and share a meal in an atmosphere that empowers students who may be the first in their family to attend university. University and institutional partners include Arizona State University, the University of Southern California, The University of Georgia, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.

The Outputs:

Who We’re Reaching This Year

86% of Lead Guitar students

qualify for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch.

89% identify

as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color.

400 participants

are accessing in-school music learning for the first time through Lead Guitar’s Adaptive and Spanish Language curricula.

40,000+ additional students

are connecting with global touring artists through in-school concerts and our interactive We Are Guitar broadcast

8,000 students

in 94 schools across four U.S. time zones with direct, daily-to-twice-weekly in-school music classes

The Outcomes:

Empowered Students, Teachers, and Schools

For Students

80% of Lead Guitar students improved their cumulative GPA after two years of participation.³

Lead Guitar students identified as in danger of drop out or expulsion reduced absences by 52% and days in detention by 45% during their first year of participation.³

They are also 17% more likely to graduate from high school than their peers who do not participate in music.⁴

And 50% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to other students identified as Low SES who do not participate in school music programs.³

For teachers

Teachers and Aides rate LG Adaptive 4.75 out of 5 for improving focus and behavior among participants.³

Teachers also give LG 4.72 out of 5 for increasing their value to their school and job security.⁶

For schools

LG leverages an average annual increase of $5,433 in music education spending from partner schools.⁷

In-depth/long-term learning opportunities are created with 78% of school partnerships lasting five years or longer.⁸

167% increase in music participation at LG partner schools.²

2. Lead Guitar Enrollment and School Program Survey, 2016
3. Lead Guitar: Report on Whole Child Outcomes; Dr. J. David Betts, 2019
4. Children's Music Workshop
5. Americans for the Arts
6. Lead Guitar Teacher Workshop Survey, 2016
7. Projections based on Lead Guitar school spending case studies, 2021
8. Lead Guitar Enrollment Data 2015-2020