The instructors for our Veterans and the Arts Initiative workshops are top notch—and guitar, ukulele, and bass teacher Glen McCarthy is no exception! He’s been with the program for 10 years. He also teaches at the Mason Community Arts Academy, and has been a guest clinician and adjudicator at festivals nationally and internationally. He spent more than 30 years teaching in Fairfax County Public Schools, and here at George Mason University. His classes are a fan favorite, and we’re delighted to share this Q&A with him:
You have been leading guitar workshops with the Veterans and the Arts Initiative for 10 years. What reflections do you have after a decade of workshops?
10 years! Time flies when you're having fun. In-person classes were great. Covid “showed up” and the next week we immediately started online. Four years ago who ever heard of Zoom? I continue to work hard to have a positive online experience for all enrolled in the program.
You are popular for the varied repertoire of genres and songs you offer in your workshops. What goes into choosing the music that you teach?
When I choose materials for the class, there are a number of variables I ask myself: is it appropriate to develop a particular skill? Is it recognizable? What style of music is it? Finger-style? Pick-style? Length of the piece/exercise? Positive reinforcement? Recommended by a class member?
Has anything surprised you about this experience?
There is no method book that the classes are using. With that in mind, the amount of materials I have generated is a bit crazy. I have over 400 documents that I have written, and I continue to write new charts weekly. I think all of this preparation has made me a better teacher.
As part of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, you teach both ukulele and guitar workshops. Everyone seems to have a preference. Here’s the big question: which one do you like more?
That's a sneaky question. My favorite instrument is what's in my hand at the time. A quote: “Ukulele is the entry level drug to playing guitar.”
Below is a sneak peek at the Veterans and the Arts Initiative workshops coming this fall:
- Flower-Hammering and Printing Workshop (9/7)
- Veterans Virtual Guitar Workshops, Levels I and II (9/10–11/12)
- Watercolor Workshops (9/19–10/10)
- Eco-Graphic Arts: Eco-Prints Workshops (9/28)
- Improv for Military Kids (10/2–10/23)
- Coffee Mandala Workshop (10/5)
- Eco-Graphic Arts: Cyanotype with Watercolor Workshop (10/19)
Workshops are free and open to Veterans, Servicemembers, military family members, and military caregivers. Visit the Hylton Center Veterans and the Arts web page in mid-july to register.