Sound Innovations for Elementary Class Guitar: Guitar Teacher Book & Online Audio & Video

This teacher edition puts the instructional heavy lifting where it belongs: in your hands, not the student book. The four-level, 36-lesson structure gives you clear pacing and assessment tools, while the matching online video and audio resources mean every example your students need to hear or see is right there. You're not building a guitar program from scattered materials; you're implementing a coherent curriculum that aligns with state and national standards from day one.

Playful and purposeful. Students move from singing and echoing to reading notes and tabs at a pace that feels natural rather than forced. The inclusion of familiar melodies, duets, trios, and opportunities to accompany singers keeps the experience musical and social, not just technical.

Elementary-level guitar teachers leading class instruction, whether in a school music program, private group studio, or community music center. This works equally well for teachers new to class guitar instruction and experienced instructors seeking a standards-aligned, developmentally informed curriculum.

• Use the streaming video demonstrations to show proper hand position and technique before students attempt new material. Pause and rewind as needed so students can observe the exact motion required.
• Start each lesson with rote learning and call-and-response echo exercises before introducing notation. This builds ear training and confidence before students feel the pressure of reading.
• Record your own voice modeling the melodies and chord changes, then play these back during practice time. Students internalize phrasing and tone quality from hearing their own teacher.
• Organize reproducible assessments into a portfolio so students see their progress across all four levels. This builds motivation when they recognize how much their reading and playing have improved.

Use this as your complete elementary guitar curriculum, moving students through all four levels across two to three years of instruction. The structured lesson plans allow you to assess progress consistently and know exactly where each student stands, making it ideal for schools that rotate ensemble offerings or offer guitar as part of a choice-based music program.

• Reading standard notation and guitar tablature simultaneously
• Playing major and minor chord shapes including moveable voicings
• Performing melodies through rote learning, imitation, and notation reading
• Ensemble playing in duets and trios with rhythmic independence
• Accompanying singers with strummed chords and basic rhythm patterns
• Recognizing and playing familiar melodic patterns across the fretboard