Musicians Work To Create Future Guitar Heroes

Tim Wenger | June 19, 2012 | 0 Comments

DENVER — Jen Pastalo Dacpano and Nicole Severson are on a mission to bring music, song, and community into the hearts and souls of school children across the Front Range.
Dacpano, a school psychologist at East High in Denver, and Severson, a music instructor from Boulder, have already created guitar programs at 10 Denver area schools. The after-school group guitar instruction — heavy on fun, creativity and self-expression — lets modest and lower-income families experience the joys of guitar without the high cost of private lessons.
“Music instruction is not a privilege; it’s a birthright,” said Dacpano, adding that budget cuts have eliminated music courses in most Colorado public schools. The cuts have taken a vital tool away from Colorado kids.
“Music builds strong students,” Dacpano said. “It improves cognitive abilities, intellectual function and it also enhances social engagement.”
Severson said the group guitar classes she teaches at Denver Language School, Odyssey School, Park Hill and Cory Elementary bring shy kids out of their shells, while teaching students the value of sharing, caring and singing.
“I had one student who was extremely shy and frequently bullied before he came to our classes,” Severson said. “After a year of music, he came into himself and was on stage singing a Johnny Cash song.”
On June 22, Dacpano and Severson will launch an Internet-based, crowd-funding project through Kickstarter called Urban Guitar Revolution. The women will use the crowd-funding approach to support the publishing of a curriculum to expand guitar instruction at every school along the Front Range.
“This is a real grassroots plan to share the gift of music and save the world one guitar at a time,” Dacpano said. “People have to step up if we want to keep music in our schools. Anyone who sees the value of music should be part of our revolution.”
For more information about Urban Guitar Revolution and the need to bring guitar programs to public schools please contact: Jen Pastalo Dacpano/Nicole Severson
720.341.9737
[email protected]
To learn more about Urban Guitar Revolution’s Kickstarter program visit:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/473434527/1635605050?token=56d1567b