VERY IMPORTANT: This page is about the Guitar Class taught by MR. BENOIT. There is another section taught by Mr. Wallace. Although these two courses are EXTREMELY similar (since the subject material, learning objectives, key learnings, etc. are all identical), they will be SLIGHTLY different, as each instructor has his own way of work, classroom procedures, etc. Each of us has our own paperwork, database, etc., so if you are in Mr. Wallace's class please get your information from him.
Both Mr. Wallace and Mr. Benoit will coordinate with each other to make sure that the classes stay in sync, so if a student were to have to switch from one to the other there would not be any interuption of progress.
Our Guitar Class is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in all areas of guitar performance technique that they may continue to build on once they have completed the course.
Once you have read the information on this page, please complete the following two forms (students will be given hard copies of these, so you don't have to print them, but you certainly may!).
1. Parent/Student Agreement. This lets me know that you have read the information to follow and that the student has the parent's permission to participate in all planned activities of the course (including all performances) as listed on our calendar.
2. Parent & Student Information Form. This is so we have appropriate contact information for everyone.
A. Course description and outline
Our course is governed by certain expectations set by the State of Florida and Pinellas County Schools. Each guitar class has a mix of levels, and of course students will also have different needs based on what specific instrument they play, so each student will have a slightly different set of specific outcomes. The main musical concepts are the same for everyone, but the specific tasks and skill will vary from student to student and from composition to composition.
The official Pinellas County Key Learnings for Guitar, together with the official State of Florida course descriptions may be found at the following link; these clearly indicate the main Learning Objectives for each level of Band:
At present, Key Learnings have only been published for Guitar 1. Higher level Guitar students will study appropriately more sophisticated and complex elements once they demonstrate mastery of the Key Learnings for Guitar 1. Given the relatively small number of higher level students compared to beginners in the class, an appropraite individual plan will be developed with each advanced student to ensure that he or she progresses as far as possible during the course.
The teacher of this course is Mr. Christopher Benoit. The last name is pronounced "Ben-wah", but he also answers to "Mr. B."
The BEST way to get in touch with Mr. Benoit is by e-mail. This is generally the quickest way to reach him, you will get the benefit of a carefully thought out response, and both you and he will have a written record of what was discussed to avoid possible confusion. His e-mail address is benoitc@pcsb.org. Every effort will be made to respond to you within 24 hours. This is not always possible, but it is the goal and is met most of the time. If you haven't heard anything back within 24 hours, please try to make contact again...sometimes e-mails don't go through, messages get garbled, etc.
There is a LOT of information that needs to go out to students and parents in an active music program like ours. Program-wide, we did more than 40 performances last school year; that requires a lot of coordination among a whole lot of people. Our WEBSITE is the first and foremost place to go for up-to-date information. Two critically important sections that parents and students should check FREQUENTLY are the DAILY BOG, which is where we have all current announcements, and the CALENDAR, which is kept up-to-date regularly with all of our events. In addition, if you gave an e-mail address on the contact information sheet, you will receive regular e-mail updates, news, and notices about our program.
There are several things that students will need during this course:
- We have a class set of guitars available for students to use in class. These may not be taken home. Students will be assigned a specific guitar to use during class. Students are welcome to come in at lunch and most days after school for additional practice if they do not have a guitar at home to use. Students are allowed to bring their own guitar to school to use for the class; this may be left in the room at the student's own risk - neither the teacher nor the school can take responsibility for students' personal equipment. Only acoustic six string guitars are appropriate for classwork, although students will have opportunities to bring in electric guitars on a few certain days during the year.
- Our textbook is Sound Innovations for Guitar by Aaron Stang and Bill Purse, published by Alfred Music Publishing. Students will use the text in class but will not be issued a copy.
- Students will need a guitar pick on most days. The first one will be provided at no charge. Picks will be available for purchase for $0.25 each throughout the year.
- Students should always have a pencil available in class; at no time will they need a pen. Music is always marked in pencil.
Our rules are very simple. They apply at ALL times, in EVERYTHING we do:
When everyone follows these rules, we are able to concentrate on the art of making music together. We should not ever have to waste everyone's time dealing with infractions of these basic guidelines for efficient rehearsals. We simply have too much to learn and do!
We are very fortunate to have a class set of guitars; we need to be diligent about taking proper care of them. Students are expected to notify the instructor immediately upon noticing any problem with their assigned guitar. We are somewhat less fortunate that there is only ONE set of classroom guitars. The guitars and text books will be kept in Mr. Wallace's portable (P51, right next door); we will have a procedure for both picking up guitars and books and putting them back away each day.
Largo High School does not permit students to use electronic devices (cell phones, .mp3 players, etc.) during school; these may only be used during lunch. At certain times, it may be entirely appropriate for students to use such a device in the context of our class; for instance, a student may have a tuner app on their phone that he or she uses when tuning. Instances such as this will be permitted when the student has the EXPRESS permission of the instructor.
Grades are based on the standard Pinellas County Schools grading scale:
A = 90 - 100%
B = 80 - 89%
C = 70 - 79%
D = 60 - 69%
F = 0 - 59%
Grades are earned in two main categories:
50% of the grade is based on the learning PROCESS. Students receive credit for being involved, prepared, and participating appropriately each day. This is actually a daily grade, but due to time constraints is shown in the gradebook as a weekly grade. USUALLY this category will count for 150 of 300 total points for the six weeks, with 25 points being the maximum that can be earned each week (5 points per day). Since not every six weeks is exactly 30 days long, some minor adjustments are made to keep the overall effect being that PROCESS counts for 50% of the overall grade. ATTENDANCE is the biggest single factor in a student's success in school, and is reflected in this grade...you can't earn points when you are not in class, because you are not learning about our subject. Likewise, you lose points for not having the materials you need in order to participate (instrument, music, etc.) or if you are not participating appropriately in the learning activities of the class. This is the easy half of the grade to get: come to class on time, have your materials, and be an active, engaged participant in the rehearsal process. If you are focussed on making music, you will earn these points...and you will learn a LOT through what we are doing.
50% of the grade is based on EVALUATION of your learning. This may include both written and performance evaluations. Some evaluations are done in class, some are public performances. There will be a mix of different things each 6 weeks; usually they will all add up to 150 of 300 total points for the six weeks. Points WILL ALWAYS balance with the points for PROCESS, so that each is worth 50% of your grade. Grading for performance evaluations is based on individual achievement; we would not judge a first year player's performance to the same standard as a senior who has played for seven years. EACH student needs to be progressing in the art of making music, and assessment grades are judged therefore by criteria appropriate to that individual student's development.
If a student has an excused absence they are entitled to an opportunity to make up the missing points for full credit. It is the student's responsibility to ask for and complete make-up work to earn credit. Per school board policy, if an absence is unexcused, make-up work may be done, but whatever points are earned will be reduced the equivalent of one letter grade.