The Pre-College Division Guitar Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee offers thorough and comprehensive guitar and music instruction for children and teens of all skill levels aged 5-18. The program, its lessons and performance opportunities, provide a solid foundation in classical guitar, equipping students with the basic skills required to be versatile in any style.

Enrollment is ongoing. Click here to download a registration form.
Click here to request a brochure.

For further information:
Elina Chekan, Director
414.229.3202
414.736.1186
echekan@uwm.edu

SUZUKI GUITAR CAMP top
June 15-19, 2009

Each summer, Elina Chekan, director of the Peck School's Pre-College Guitar Program, and René Izquierdo of the UWM Guitar Program faculty offer a lively camp for beginning and intermediate guitar students designed to build a solid foundation in classical guitar, equipping students with the basic skills required to be versatile in any style.

• Daily group lessons and coaching
• Supportive environment & small groups
• Exposure to full range of guitar styles through video, recordings & live performance by instructors & guests
• Informal final performance

For more information on Suzuki Guitar Camp 2009, click here.

ABOUT THE PRE-COLLEGE GUITAR PROGRAM top
As a part of the Pre-College Division of UWM's Peck School of the Arts, we are able to offer our students unique access to university resources and a close relationship with UWM's own highly regarded Guitar Program. Suzuki and Pre-College students enjoy complete participation in the Guitar Program's events, including master classes with distinguished visiting artists and concerts.

We offer two programs to match your child's age, level of playing, and educational needs. Beginning students have two options: they may enroll in Guitar Fundamentals, a small weekly group class designed as an introduction to the guitar and the study of music, or they may enroll in our Suzuki Guitar Program, the only one of its kind in Wisconsin. We offer Pre-College Instruction for students aged 11 and up. An enriched college preparatory program is provided for older guitar students who anticipate pursuing a career in music.

Students learn through a combination of weekly individual lessons and group classes and periodic solo and ensemble recitals. Individual lessons are scheduled during the week. Group classes, held on Saturdays, are organized by level of playing, age, and sight-reading skills. Ensemble playing is a very significant aspect of these classes, allowing students to learn important lifelong skills such as teamwork and cooperation.

Please join us for one of our Saturday Guitar Discovery Days (listed in our calendar) to learn more about our program and the world of the guitar.

GUITAR DISCOVERY DAYS top
Children and their parents are invited to explore the world of the guitar during these free, informal Saturday open house events. Meet the instructor and learn more about our program! Join us on September 13, September 20, December 13, January 17 or January 24.

All Guitar Discovery Days take place from 1-3 pm in Room 188 of the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. on the UWM campus.

LOCATIONS AND PARKING top
Classes, Lessons and Discovery Days
Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, Room 188, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. on the UWM campus.

Concerts and Recitals
UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. on the UWM campus.

Parking
Meter parking is available in the lot behind the Zelazo Center after 3 pm on weekdays and all day Saturday. You may also use the parking structure in the UWM Union, directly across Kenwood Boulevard. Parking is free on Sundays.

For maps, directions and more parking information:
http://www.uwm.edu/UWM/Map3

GUITAR FUNDAMENTALS top
This weekly class is designed for the beginning student as an introduction to guitar study in a sup-portive class setting and is excellent preparation for further guitar study. It may be taken without signing up for individual lessons. The course intro-duces fundamentals of guitar technique, proper position of the instrument, music reading skills, rhythm, basic chords and basic finger picking techniques. Students become familiar with a va-riety of music styles through study of solo and ensemble repertoire. Students will have an op-portunity to perform as a group at the end of the semester. Students must have a nylon string, appropriately-sized guitar by the third week of class.

SUZUKI GUITARtop
Students may enter the Suzuki Guitar program beginning at age 5. The Suzuki "Talent Education" method is based on the principle that all children can learn multiple skills in the same natural way that they learn to speak their native language. Just as children learn to speak before they read, Suzuki students learn to listen and produce sounds on their instruments before reading music. Reading music comes only after basic technical skills have been mastered.

Suzuki students progress through a developmentally sequenced repertoire. It is essential that students maintain and reinforce their repertoire through continuous review, just as children retain all the first words in their language vocabulary. They do this by practicing and by listening to a variety of music daily, including recordings of their current repertoire. This process builds musicianship as well as memory, technique, aural skills, stamina, and confidence.

Parental involvement is essential for the success and development of youngsters in the Suzuki program. Parents are present at weekly private lessons and group classes, taking an active part in the learning process. The parent becomes the teacher at home, supervising daily practice and listening sessions.

PRE-COLLEGE INSTRUCTION top
This program is designed to provide appropriate guitar instruction to children aged 11-18 of all skill levels. The emphasis is on the development of technique, musicianship, and strong sight reading skills. Our goal is to equip the guitarist with the necessary tools he or she needs to perform in a variety of situations, both solo and ensemble.

For students anticipating pursuing a career in music, we offer an accelerated college preparatory program. The program offers high caliber instruction, performance opportunities, and artistic mentoring in one comprehensive curriculum. College prep students will participate fully in the activities of UWM's Guitar Program as they become acquainted with major pedagogical schools and expand their knowledge of the instrument repertoire. Students interested in participating in the college preparatory program should contact Ms. Chekan to arrange an audition.

FACULTY top
Born in Minsk, Belarus, Elina Chekan studied with Valeriy Gromov and Eugene Gridiushko in her native country and with Benjamin Verdery at Yale University where she attained her Master of Music degree. Ms. Chekan has performed extensively in Europe and the United States as a soloist and chamber musician. A prizewinner in several international guitar competitions, she also received the Louis and Anne Rosoff award from Yale University. Ms. Chekan is a certified Suzuki Method instructor, registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Renowned Argentinean composer Jorge Morel dedicated one of his recent compositions to Ms. Chekan. Elina was artist in residence and faculty at the Bloomingdale School of Music in New York City, and chair of the Guitar Department at the Belarus Music Academy in Minsk. She is currently on the faculty at UWM where she directs the Pre-College Division Guitar Program.

CALENDAR 2008-2009 top
Fall Semester
September 2-December 18, 2008
September 2 Semester begins
September 29-October 5 Second tuition payment due at private lesson
November 14 at 7:30 pm Pre-College Guitar Student Recital
November 26-29 Thanksgiving Break (no classes)
November 30 Classes resume
December 7 at 12 noon Student Recital
December 12 at 4:30 pm Suzuki & Pre-College Students Perform at Bayshore Town Center
December 19-22 Make-up week

Spring Semester
January 17- May 11, 2009
January 19 Semester begins
February 15-21 Second tuition payment due at private lesson
March 21-27 Spring Break (no classes)
March 28 Classes resume
April 10 at 7:30 pm Benefit Concert
May 10 at 12 noon 3rd Annual Concert & Fundraiser
May 11-16 Make-up Week

SCHEDULE OF GROUP CLASSES top

Guitar Fundamentals
Thursdays, 5:15-6:05 pm

Beginning Suzuki
Saturdays, 9:45-10:30 am

Guitar Level I
For students with a minimum of one year of playing experience or by audition.
Saturdays, 10:40-11:30 am

Guitar Level II
For students with a minimum of two years of playing experience or by audition.
Saturdays, 8:45-9:45 am

Guitar Level III
By audition only.
Saturdays, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
We reserve the right to cancel any class with insufficient enrollment.

FEES top
Students learn through a combination of weekly individual and group classes and periodic solo and ensemble recitals. Individual lessons are scheduled during the week.

Registration is for a full semester. Fees are based on length of private lesson and include a non-refundable $40 deposit. Tuition includes a private lesson of the specified length and a group class each week during the 15-week semester. Tuition does not cover the cost of music or books, although some instructional materials will be provided.

Guitar Fundamentals: $280(without private lessons)
30 minute lesson & group class weekly $595
45 minute lesson & group class weekly $735
60 minute lesson & group class weekly $910

Fees pro-rated for late registration.
Financial aid available; please contact Ms. Chekan for an application form.

GUITAR PROGRAM POLICIES top
Payment of Fees
No student will be admitted to individual lessons or group classes prior to payment. Fees must be paid in their entirety by the first private lesson unless you have registered for the two-payment plan. Tuition will be pro-rated for late enrollees.

Two-payment Plan:
50% of tuition plus a $10 processing fee is due by the first private lesson with the balance due by the fifth private lesson.

Scheduling a Time for Your Individual Lesson
Contact Elina Chekan directly to schedule your individual lesson time. Although we would like to honor your first request for day and time, we ask that you provide at least four possible alternatives. We recommend registering as early as possible to ensure the best possible time for your lesson.

Withdrawals and Refunds
Registration is for the entire semester. If a student withdraws before the third individual lesson and has already paid in full, he/she will receive a 75% refund of the tuition, minus the non-refundable deposit. Notice of intent to withdraw must be submitted in writing prior to the third lesson. Refunds may take 4-6 weeks to process. No other refunds will be made.

Making Up Lessons
Lesson cancellation and make-up policies are designed to be fair to both teacher and student. Students who are late for a lesson or class cannot be guaranteed their lesson time for that day. Faculty will wait for a student for one-third of the scheduled lesson duration; students are asked to do the same. If the instructor cancels a lesson or class, a make-up will be offered at a mutually convenient time. We regret that instruction missed because of an official closing cannot be made up. The Guitar Program will not offer classes when UWM is closed due to weather conditions. There are no make-ups for missed group classes.

Cancellations by students due to illness may be made up under the following conditions:

• No more than one make-up for a private lesson is allowed per term.
• Student must give 24 hour notice of cancellation by calling the office at (414) 229-3202 or e-mailing Ms. Chekan at echekan@uwm.edu

Safety
For the safety of all of our students, we ask that you escort your child directly to their class/lesson and then pick them up promptly at the end of the class/lesson. Please do not allow children to wander unsupervised through the building. It is not the responsibility of the faculty or the staff to supervise children outside of their class/lesson.