Behind the notes strummed by guitarists John Mayer and Santana, stands the base understanding of classic guitar and its technical style. In 2010, MU began to build a program to teach this musical base.
Classical guitarist, composer and author Anthony Glise was chosen to help launch the first guitar program at the MU School of Music. The program began as a few classes with Glise, and it is now expanding to include international, graduate and undergraduate students with an emphasis in guitar.
“There have been a total of three programs that have started in the last 10 years,” said Michael Strausbaugh, a master’s student for composition focusing in guitar. “These programs don’t just pop up, and to the guitar community this is a big deal.”
Although the program focuses on classical guitar, Glise said interested students should keep in mind that classical guitar is a cornerstone for other genres.
“Our guitar program at MU is exclusively classical, but you have to remember that some of the most progressive rock and jazz guitarists studied classical guitar, such as Jan Akkerman, Randy Rhoads and Chris Broderick,” Glise said. “Classical guitar is so demanding that if you can get around in that style, other styles are much easier.”
Students now have the option to major in music education, theory and composition and history with guitar as their emphasis instrument, School of Music Director Robert Shay said.
“The program of study will include not only lessons with professor Glise, but also classes in guitar literature, guitar history, guitar pedagogy,” Shay said. “These students will be in chamber ensembles with either other guitarists or other instrumentalists.”
The guitar program will also offer a career development class.
“As students are trying to enter professionally into the performance world, we all need to know the business aspect,” Strausbaugh said. “This kind of class hasn’t been offered here, so apart from the guitar-orientated material, that’s going to be huge.”
The guitar program is small, but it is expected to attract a number of professional international guitarists, as well as established guitar students. Next fall, graduate student Paulo Eduardo, from Brazil, and an undergraduate student from Singapore will join the program.
“We hope it will be something that will draw some really fine guitarists from all over the world here to Mizzou to study with professor Glise and partake in the other programs in the school of music,” Shay said.
After reading about the new guitar program and speaking to Glise, Eduardo said he took the opportunity to come to Columbia, realizing it was the best option to improve his career.
“I’m looking forward to learning more music, but I also want to get to know a new culture and to share knowledge by working on my music and playing for different people,” Eduardo said. “I think that everything that we do in our lives is to improve ourselves.”
Glise said the program offers foreign and MU music students a chance to work with guitarists.
“There is so much classical music written for both solo guitar and guitar with other instruments that this opens the door for an entirely new interaction within the School of Music,” Glise said.
