There are a myriad of choices – from badminton to ballroom dancing – available to Ohio State students, allowing them to take classes in subjects that interest them outside of their normal course of study.
Unless that interest is in playing guitar.
Although there is a track for guitarists in the School of Music, there are currently no beginning-level courses available for non-music majors to take.
“(The lack of beginning guitar classes) limits what people can do, what they can expose themselves to. The whole idea of college is to try to open yourself to new things, new experiences. It seems like the music school is only open to people who already are set on music, not to those who want to try it,” said Chris Weiss, a junior in sociology who plays guitar.
Weiss said that he would love to be able to take beginning-level classes for guitar, along with other instruments.
He is definitely not alone. One only needs to look at all the people wearing headphones around campus to see the pervasiveness of music in American culture. It seems natural that there would be a lot of interest to learn music, even to those who may not be music majors, said Chris Connor, a guitar teacher who has given private lessons at the String Shoppe on High Street for the last six years.
“Music is a part of anyone’s everyday life,” said Fred Russell, a junior in computer science and engineering. “It’s an inescapable factor. I wouldn’t say it should be required, but it should at least be available to anyone that’s interested … I would love to take some music classes. I looked into it heavily as a freshman because I really wanted to take some formal training as a guitar player and get some music theory under my belt. But without being in the (music) program I couldn’t take it.”
Learning music can have a profound influence on education as well.
“It seems like it’s an important part (of a well-rounded education),” Connor said. “People get a lot out of music and art. People exposed to the arts become more fulfilled. It’s nice if you have the option open to cultivate an interest in music.”
Being able to study music can also have the ability to break up the monotony of the academic schedules of those in other majors.
“You don’t have to be a music major to be a musician, so why can’t we take classes too?” Russell said. “I’ve always been quite bummed I couldn’t take any music classes as like a relaxation class from the heavy math and sciences of my engineering major, seeing as how I enjoy playing music a lot more than I enjoy doing math.”
Not only that, but taking music classes can help students meet new people who are also interested in the same things – namely music, Weiss said
Luckily, there is plenty that a student who is interested in music can take. The School of Music offers a range of courses – including a beginning theory course, several music history courses, classic piano and voice courses – for non-music majors, and is always looking to expand and offer more to meet the needs of the greater student body, said Dr. David Frego, associate director of the School of Music.
“We believe that courses in music should be part of every student’s education,” he said. “As good university citizens, we like to have the buzz on non-majors with us. They offer a tremendous input to our ensembles and enjoy the many history, theory and industry classes that we can offer.”
In addition it is possible for non-majors to participate in ensembles and take music major classes, if given permission by the professor, and those interested pass a music aptitude test.
“Many of the courses are required to have an expected level of musicianship,” Frego said. “In addition, our ratio of students to professors remains at approximately 15 to one.”
Lack of space, whether it be the number of classrooms in Hughes and Weigel Hall, or the amount of storage space for university-owned instruments, is the main issue that has kept beginner-level instrumental classes out of the music curriculum, he said.
All of this could be changing soon, as the music school currently has a beginning music course working its way through Academic Affairs, and could be offered as early as autumn quarter in 2006.
“Up to now there’s been a change in mandate (for the School of Music). In the last three years we’ve offered a push onto the rest of campus,” Frego said.
Few of the details of the course have been mapped out yet, except for relative class size, which is pretty much standardized. Classes would have, at most, eighteen students, not only so the student-instructor ratio is low, but because of the noise level the course could generate, he said.
“A guitar has a softer sound, you wouldn’t do that with a trumpet course,” Frego said.
Smaller class sizes also seem to be agreeable to students.
“I think the smaller (the class is) the better, because it’s more personal,” said Dan Bontempo, a senior in English.
The rest, such as what material would be covered, how students would be tested, etc. would all be left to the individual instructor, he said.
“(If I were teaching such a class) I’d try to incorporate some contemporary music, some popular culture to keep students interested,” Connor said.
He also said that any beginner class should start with the basics of reading music, learning the notes on the fretboard and gaining coordination with the instrument.
Frego is confident that once the class is established, it will be popular with students.
“Once (the class) is up there, I think we can offer several classes,” he said.
Even those without guitars would be able to take the class, Frego said, because the music school has 18 guitars in storage that students could sign out to use during class and for practicing in one of the practice rooms in either Hughes or Weigel Hall after class.
Still, he wants to warn students that are potentially interested to keep in mind that a beginning guitar class would not be a GEC course because it does not have a writing component and would be approached as more of a technical skill course.
In addition, Frego wants students to realize that by a beginning music course, the school means a beginning course, so those expecting to become the next Yngwie Malmsteen should look elsewhere.
Of course there are several challenges in teaching an instrument in a classroom setting, especially when teaching students who may have little or no prior experience with playing music. This forces the instructor to tailor their instruction to every student’s individual needs, Frego said.
“Teaching a lot of beginners in a classroom setting might be a little chaotic,” Connor said. “If anyone can take a class, you might get someone who has no musical ability, so the instructor has to figure out a way to keep the class moving. You also have to have open-minded students who are willing to learn different styles.”
Limited space will still be a factor, as will cost, especially when considering that private lessons with a guitar teacher outside of OSU will typically run about $15 a lesson compared to tuition, Connor said.
Fortunately, until the class is offered, there are still plenty of choices for aspiring musicians to hone their craft.
Beginners can look on the internet, find books on the subject, find people that might live in the same dorm and ask for tips, and in some cases, it can be as simple as going into a music store and asking around to see if there is anyone who plays and gives private lessons, Connor said.
“There are lots of ways to learn if you’re interested,” he said.
That, of course, and following the old adage of practice, practice, practice.
“To really understand music, you have to make it,” Frego said.
