Under the direction of Dr. James Satterwhite

The mission of the NSA guitar program is to prepare students for a guitar scholarship to further their studies at the university level. The program achieves this goal by providing four years of classical guitar training. This curriculum includes technique, repertoire, sight reading, and performance training. Students perform in many recitals and with various quartets. The guitar program also includes an advanced electric guitar course where students learn advanced chord voicing and improvisation in a number of styles.

The NSA Guitar program includes a songwriting class. Students have an option to study songwriting instead of Music Theory II. The instructor, Dr. Satterwhite, won an ASCAP composition award for $1,500 while in college. He has had numerous compositions, performed and recorded. His master's thesis, Is there a formula for the Top Ten Country Lyrics? was published in a three article feature by Country Song Roundup magazine. His doctoral dissertation, Developing Creativity Through Teaching Songwriting in Secondary Composition Classes is available through University Microfilms. Many songwriting students at NSA have recorded and performed their compositions at various venues. NSA songwriters have performed their original compositions at Belmont University and MTSU. The John Lennon Tour Bus recorded one of the NSA original compositions and shot a music video of the students performing it.

Please view the Guitar Program's Available Studies for more information.

The guitar program is an umbrella for the following performing groups:

The NSA Swing Thing

Performs music of the swing era around the Nashville area.

The NSA Delta Blues Band

Performs roots blues music and modern blues.

The NSA Guitar Quartet

Performs four-part harmony arrangements similar to a string quartet.

The NSA String Band

Performs Appalachian Old Time String Band music and tours with the Rutherford County Square Dancers. The String Band has performed in International Folk Festivals in Canada, England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, and Poland, and are planning another trip to Europe this summer.

For further information about the availability of the NSA Swing Thing, the NSA Delta Blues Band, the NSA Guitar Quartet, or the touring group, NSA String Band, please

e-mail Dr. Satterwhite at James.Satterwhite@mnps.org.

International Touring Groups

The 2005 NSA Summer String Band at Giovanni, Italy



The 2005 NSA String Band at Scilla, Italy