The AOK Guitar School is a divisional guitar education program. The aim is to create skilled guitarists who can play worship music in their corps. This courseis for anyone, who seeks tobecome abetter guitarist so that they can offer their skills back to the Lordin praise. Beginners who take this course can start playing worshipmusic in the corps in a matter of weeks!
How it works:
Jimmy Cox is the head of the program in the division. Any guitar class or guitar lessons in the corps is considered part of the Guitar School, provided that Jimmy has met with the leader, and the class is using The Contemporary Guitarist curriculum. Once a leader is in place, the program is yours to run! Jimmy does not manage your program, but he is there as a resource and can assess the program for benefit of the corps officer and leader.
How to start a guitar program:
There are only three main steps!
- Train your leader.
- Contact the Music Department and schedule a time for Jimmy to visit and train your leader. The training course consists of two sessions, each an hour and a half long. They are usually held a week apart.
- We ask that a soldier of the corps is trained as the leader, and the corps officer takes part in the sessions as well.
- Your leader does not have to be a guitar player! The training session covers how run the entire program via DVD, or how to teach it as a guitar player. Non-guitar players who take this session will learn some basic guitar skills.
- Order the book.
- The curriculum is The Contemporary Guitarist: Methods for the Worship Musician by Jimmy Cox. The book comes with a DVD that you can use to teach the class or private lessons! It covers every lesson in the book. Also included is an audio CD of all songs and exercises in the book.
- Each student needs their own book.
- Start your class!
- Pick a time to do class each week, and get started! There are numerous resources on this site for leaders.
The Curriculum:
The material used is The Contemporary Guitarist: Methods for the Worship Musician. This book is specifically designed for Salvationists who want to play guitar. It is a fun, interactive, and effective means of learning to play worship music. Each book includes:
- Common praise and worship chords complete with diagrams, photos, and exercises.
- DVD of lessons that can be used to teach the entire book.
- Play-along CD for every exercise and song.
- Songs by transMission and from the Salvation Army Songbook.
- Devotional material designed to enhance our understanding of worship.
- Suggestions for other popular songs that can be played at each stage of development.
- QR code links to extra online content
The DVD that comes with the book is an exciting feature that is very helpful to a corps who wants a guitar program, but has no one to teach it. A full length guitar course can be taught in a corps from start to finish using the DVD! Featured on the videos are Marty Mikles, Jimmy Cox, and Adely Charles.
Have your corps officer contact the music department if you would like to set this program up in your corps!