Guitars Not Guns to Host Concert in Fairfax

Bill McGinness gets out of his car and walks to the passenger door to fetch Smiles. He then talks about Flea with deep affection.

They're not his pets. Smiles is McGinness’s 100-year-old guitar, named so because the bridge takes the shape of a smile; and Flea is the ukulele he first picked up at age 9.

“I developed friendships for life through the music and playing and performing,” says McGinness, a retired environmental biologist and volunteer instructor with Guitars not Guns National Capital Area, an affiliate of Guitars not Guns. 

GnG is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to instill a sense of music appreciation in at-risk youth and to use music as a social influence against violence.

The organization offers after-school music programs at 32 locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, including schools in Mount Vernon. The programs consist of one-hour long lessons over a period of eight weeks. Students learn basic guitar skills such as parts, tuning, notes and names of strings, and playing six chords.

"Our program is not just about the music,” says Skip Chaples, president of GnG NCA. “While learning music is a valuable skill that helps their academic performance and deters them from engaging in risky behavior, showing them they can succeed if they try is even more valuable.”

During the eight-week session, students are given a guitar and an instruction book to practice at home. At the end of the program, they take a written and practical exam to test their knowledge. Passing means a handsome reward: earning their very own guitar.

“To have a guitar is a very privileged kind of thing because [instruments and lessons] are expensive,” says Matt Hoang, a 26-year-old electrical engineer who also volunteers with GnG NCA. 

Hoang, who taught himself to play the guitar in the seventh grade, understands the difficulty some families face when it comes to committing the resources necessary to engage kids in music. 

“[The students are] very motivated so it’s a pleasure to teach them,” Hoang says. “We try our best and we try to entertain them and show them that it can be a fun thing and if you stick with it, you can do a lot with it.”

GnG NCA serves over 300 youth each year. The programs are held twice per year, in the spring and fall, and target 10 to 18-year-olds. 

The organization will host its first-ever benefit concert on Sept. 10 at the Patriot Center. The “Music Making a Difference” concert will feature acoustic folk-rock artists Jonathan Edwards and Jesse Colin Young.

Fall classes are scheduled to begin on Sept. 12.

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