Welcome to Arkansas State University!

"We so appreciate the effort that goes into this great program....can't say enough about it!" - string outreach parent

THE A-STATE GUITAR PROGRAM
 is partnering with Northeast Arkansas public schools in an outreach effort to build guitar programs in our region. If you are a teacher, school administrator, student, or parent of a student, we would love to work with you! We also serve homeschooling families who are committed in pursuing quality music education. Please contact the A-State Guitar Outreach Program through one of the means below for more information and to schedule visits with our faculty:

Phone: 870.972.2094
email: tcrist@astate.edu (Dr. Timothy Crist, Professor of Music)

HOW WE CAN HELP YOUR STUDENTS

  • FREE group lessons on guitar, and bass guitar during the day in regional schools.
  • We can provide FREE instruments to schools that have limited funding to support their string program.
  • We can also provide FREE teacher training in the form of regular professional development workshops offered on the A-State campus.
  • Opportunities for guitar students to perform in large ensembles such as the A-State Guitar Orchestra.
  • We can provide FREE outreach events where your students will meet some of the finest guitar performers in the world!
  • In addition, we can provide FREE classes in music composition, music theory and aural theory, motivation classes, and effective practice classes.

HISTORY OF THE GUITAR OUTREACH PROGRAM

Arkansas State University has a history of consistently aspiring to excellence in education, research, and community enrichment. The Guitar Outreach Program supports this mission. The program began in 2000 with the birth of the A-State Classical Guitar Program. Since then, the first-rate program has been active, holding regular outreach events in school districts throughout the region including Jonesboro, Nettleton, Valley View, Paragould, Poplar Bluff, Osceola, Marion, and Bartlett TN., to name only a few. We also provide service events to our regional community through performances at hospitals, assisted-living communities, weddings, and churches, among others. We are pursuing not only quality guitar instruction in regional schools, but also building a sense of community of guitar performers and guitar enthusiasts among the schools of our region. This allows inspired students in smaller music programs the opportunity to connect with students from other schools to form lasting collaborative relationships. The program is committed to leading the charge towards quality guitar performance in our public schools and becoming the center for guitar activity for Northeast Arkansas. We hope to continue to expand the program by increasing the number of our faculty, providing more instruments to schools, and providing students that participate in the outreach effort with A-State scholarships.

DONATE

If you are able, we need your help! Please consider a donation to the Guitar Outreach Program to help us reach more of the children in our region. Donating is easy and any amount will go directly towards the children in our program! Just visit the A-State How to Give page and click on the "Make a Gift" button on the left. Take a look at our exciting program at work in the images below. We are confident you will see value in the vibrancy and depth of this innovative and comprehensive program. Help us grow!

In the side bar are images from many of our events including the A-State Youth Orchestra, the A-State Guitar Orchestra, outreach efforts with world-class musicians such as The Parker Quartet, The Harlem Quartet, The Tantalus Guitar Quartet, great blues guitarist John Hammond, Persian musicians, early music performers, and others. Enjoy! Life flourishes in music. Be a part of this gift to our community.