Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of three articles highlighting interesting courses taught at MSU.
Most courses involve sitting at a desk taking notes, but Michael Patilla’s beginning guitar class is not one of them.
To an observer, the course may look more like a group guitar lesson than a college class. Students walk in with their guitars and warm up by playing and exchanging the songs they already know.
The course, MU 1221, is open to all MSU students and is specifically designed for non-music majors, Patilla said.
“There are no prerequisites for this class,” he said. “It is geared toward and designed for people who have no experience playing the guitar or have some experience with other instruments.”
Many of the students who sign up for the course already own guitars and have played some simple, self-taught music.
“I had played before,” microbiology major Ryan Wilson said. “I took the class to make myself learn to read music. The class is a good break from everything else.”
Students in the beginning guitar course learn how to play basic chords and how to read music.
“Dr. Patilla is a great teacher with a laid-back attitude that works well with the class,” senior microbiology major Stephen Leblanc said. “He is also an unbelievable guitar player.”
Patilla splits the class into groups based on experience level and works with each group separately. While he works with one group, the other students individually practice what they have just learned.
Each student is graded on his or her own individual level of performance throughout the semester, so a student’s individual dexterity and coordination do not affect his or her grade.
“The class is very informal,” Patilla said. “Grading is really based upon each individual student’s progress as we go through the semester. It is pretty subjective … even with 18 students in the class, it’s easy to keep up with how they’re each doing.”
“I mostly played tabs before this class,” senior architecture major Will Stanford said. “I’d never read music before. This class has taught me how to read music and how it all goes together.”
The class will be offered again next semester, one section on Tuesday and one on Thursday, both at 9:30 a.m.