Sahuaro High School hosted Tucson Unified School District’s first-ever guitar festival.
The event attracted over 200 students from 11 Tucson schools, who took part in all-day workshops led by university instructors and faculty from across the state.
Philip Hemmo, a music instructor at Sahuaro High School, organized the event. He was able to recruit established music instructors through his days as a faculty member at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College and Northern Arizona University.
“When I took this position a year-and-a-half ago, I reached out to many of the other schools and teachers,” Hemmo said. “I told them that I wanted to help out in any way I can, so that we can all increase the importance of guitar education.”
Hemmo said that the event serves to showcase the significance of music education, which he says extends beyond music. Both the National Institute of Health and the American Psychological Association have shown that students who learn music at a young age go on to score higher test scores in other academic disciplines.