Guitar Lab is a half-year course designed for beginner guitarists, providing an engaging and musically enriching experience for students of all skill levels. Taught by Mr. Dennis Johnson, this class focuses on the fundamentals of playing the guitar, including music notation, listening skills, and exploring a variety of musical styles.

Students will develop essential guitar techniques such as proper posture, hand positioning, and playing chords, scales, arpeggios, and melodies. They'll also learn to read standard music notation, TAB diagrams, and chord symbols while demonstrating correct tuning and performance across different genres.

One of the exciting aspects of the course is the use of Yamaha SLG220S "Silent" Steel-String Guitars. These state-of-the-art instruments feature an advanced powered pickup system that provides both an acoustic and electric sound experience. With headphone inputs for individual listening and XLR outputs for amplification, students can practice and perform with a professional setup. The guitars also have an auxiliary input/output, allowing students to play along with tutorial tracks or plug into a computer for recording.

These same guitars are used by universities and other high schools, offering students opportunities to explore the world of recording, mixing, and editing using popular Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Audacity, GarageBand, and Adobe Premiere Pro. Mr. Johnson, who has personal experience with all three DAWs, hopes to expand the curriculum in the future to include a Computer Music class alongside Guitar Lab, further enhancing students' musical and technical skills.

This hands-on approach to learning offers a unique opportunity for students to grow as musicians while exploring the exciting intersection of music and technology.