Teens Take Free Guitar Lessons To Mount Kisco Elementary School

MOUNT KISCO, NY — Seven elementary school pupils in Mount Kisco are learning how to play the guitar this spring under the aegis of teens Nick Schroeter and Jack Haims. Haims and Schroeter came up with the idea to offer free guitar lessons to any Mount Kisco Elementary School kids who wanted to learn.

Bedford offers guitar lessons in the middle school music program but not before – something they both remember from when they were students at different elementary schools in the district.

They determined that there were kids who were interested, so they approached the school administrators. They proposed free group lessons to pupils who had expressed interest, once a week after school, with the school’s music teacher (who generously offered to volunteer her time) chaperoning the sessions. Schroeter and Haims said they’d get guitars from family, friends and other means like donations.

The school’s answer was a resounding YES.

Next, permission slips were sent home and as of May, just three months in to the program, a total of seven male and female students have been strumming away weekly on Thursdays. Schroeter and Haims show the kids simple chords, finger exercises, and have recently begun playing basic three-chord songs. And they’ve got their eye on an end of year ‘concert’ for parents to see their children perform.

The program will be back in the fall, and the two teens have ambitions to expand to the other elementary schools in the district before they graduate in 2019.

Schroeter and Haims answered questions for Patch:

Q: Why did you create this program?

A: We thought of this because of our interest in music and our desire to give back to the community in some way that could involve music. We both had participated in school programs for guitar throughout middle school, and realized there was a lack of any sort of teaching about guitar in the elementary school years. This was where we saw our opportunity. We also picked a socio-economically diverse area because we figured those kids would benefit most from this type of program.

Q: Now that the program is underway, what have you learned so far?

A: We’ve learned to recognize the responsibility that comes with in a teaching role carries. Previously, I never knew what kind of impact that teachers have on kids, especially elementary level kids. After running this program, I really learned how much young kids catch onto from their teachers- even things that aren’t guitar related. It has made me realize the responsibility and challenge that being a teacher carries.

Q: What's been hardest, what's been most rewarding?

A: The most challenging part is giving all the kids useful instruction because they are all at different levels. We have such a range of skill in our class. Some students are excelling and learning multiple different chords while others are still working on getting the first chord to make sound. The most rewarding part is seeing the kids’ reactions when they finally get something that we’ve been working on for some time. Guitar is one of the most frustrating things to learn. It takes time and dedication. These kids light up when they finally get something that they have been working on for weeks and it’s very rewarding to see them eager to progress.

PHOTO/ contributed