EGTA(UK)’s Aims & Purpose
EGTA (UK) (Registered charity number 1125411) exists to improve the position of classical guitar teachers in the United Kingdom, and to provide a forum for UK classical guitar teachers to exchange views and participate in Continuing Professional Development activities.
EGTA (UK)’s founding statement was:
“To advance education for the public benefit in classical guitar playing in particular but not exclusively by the promotion of classical guitar playing classical guitar concerts and educating young people in the study of the classical guitar.”
Broadly speaking our operational aims are to continue to improve the standard of guitar teaching in the United Kingdom, to raise the status of the instrument, and to widen interest in classical guitar playing across the country.
We endeavour to achieve these goals through organising and supporting events around the UK; running an annual conference; providing advice and guidance to newly-qualified classical guitar teachers; campaigning for changes in curriculum and syllabus; advocating the inclusion of classical guitar teaching methods throughout UK music education; reaching out to our European colleagues for mutual support and solidarity.
Activities & Member Participation
EGTA (UK) is administered by a national committee which also organises the annual conference. Recent internationally-renowned visitors include Jad Azkoul, Gilbert Biberian, Craig Ogden, Gary Ryan, Sean Shibe, James Westbrook, Xue-fei Yang, Julian Bream, Antonis Hatzinikolaou, Giulio Tampalini, Gaelle Solal, Graham Wade, Christopher Page and Eleftheria Kotzia.
Members are kept abreast of news and events via e-mail updates and the EGTA(UK) Facebook page; and are encouraged to become actively involved within the Association.
All members can submit proposals to the committee for consideration to run local meetings, concerts and seminars under the EGTA(UK) banner. Involvement in ‘local’ activities in recent years has included Bowden Arts one-day workshops with Allan Neave (Linlithgow) and Simon Thacker (Perth), The Stoke Newington Guitar Festival (London), Exam Preparation training day (Yehudi Menuhin School), Tone-production residential weekend with Gaelle Solal (Cheshire), Ensemble coaching and residential weekend with Antonis Hatzinikolaou (Shropshire), One-day technical workshop with the Eden-Stell Duo, and so on.
All members are heartily encouraged to take an active part in our Facebook and Twitter pages and to tell all their friends and colleagues about the discussions and debates taking place there !
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/europeanguitarteachersassociation)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/EGTA_UK)
Some EGTA(UK) Achievements To Date
The National Youth Guitar Ensemble
EGTA founded the National Youth Guitar Ensemble in 2000. In time NYGE has become an established and respected provider of the country’s best available ensemble training for young people.
Its twice-yearly residential training courses culminate in highly-regarded and successful concerts across the UK. The consistent professional and supportive work over many years of (amongst others) Chris Susans, Gerald Garcia and Liz Larner has allowed the ensemble to evolve into a unique and admired operation.
In 2015 a difficult but necessary decision was reached, in conjunction with all interested parties, to transfer the administration of NYGE to a new home within the specialist youth music charity The Arts Circus. This move was completed in October 2015 and the ensemble has already expanded its operations to include more auditions and performance opportunities.
EGTA(UK) and all our colleagues wish NYGE well in its new home both now and in the future.
Publications
EGTA has increasingly used its resources to enable projects to be born, to develop and to flourish.
The EGTA Series published initially by Chanterelle, including the One+One and Solo Now books, along with The Baroque Book and Classical Book, is an early example of EGTA’s vision. All the books are extremely popular and are used internationally, not least as set pieces in the syllabuses of the leading examination boards. The publisher Chanterelle was recently incorporated as an imprint of Musikverlag Zimmerman who continue to produce the books. Please see the page this web-site (‘Publications/The EGTA Series’) for more information.
Our own in-house formal production, Guitar Forum, developed into the first and only scholarly publication in English devoted to the teaching of the classical guitar, and its international acclaim is growing. Guitar Forum grew out of EGTA’s Guitar Journal periodical, and the articles first published there are gradually being made available on line, attracting many visits each month.
Syllabus Reform
Please see the web-page ‘About Membership’ for more information on our work in this area so far.