The History of the Las Vegas Academy Guitar Program 2002-2015 Thirteen Years Compiled by Bill Swick Las Vegas Academy 315 S. 7th St. Las Vegas, NV 89101 www.classroomguitar.com This is dedicated to the following eight students who completed the first four years of classroom guitar offered at the Las Vegas Academy. Stephen Boggioni Ryan Boylan Addison Costella Marquicia Dominigue Shane Olivas Jeckster Rico Walter Turner Angie Walker 1 Las Vegas Academy Guitar Program The Beginning The guitar program at the Las Vegas Academy began at the start of the 2002-03 school year with the following 29 guitar majors. First Varsity 3 Guitar Class at LVA Fall, 2002 (Advanced) Kylee Andreasen (sophomore) Eli Bloecker (senior) Stephen Boggioni (freshman) Sarah Boka (sophomore) Addison Costella (freshman) Nick Giordano (freshman) Jeremy Gorlin (junior) Mary Haddad (senior) Keith Hardin (junior) Rick Monsalvo (senior) Shane Olivas (freshman) Sarah O’Malley (freshman) Barry Provost (junior) Jeckster Rico (freshman) First Varsity 2 Guitar Class at LVA Fall, 2002 (Intermediate) Brandon Beligni (freshman) Ryan Boylan (freshman) Jaron Brumley (freshman) Stephanie Burleson (sophomore) Evan Carlisle (sophomore) Marquicia Domingue (freshman) Joe Farrell (sophomore) Brendan Mahathey (freshman) Ryan Merriman (freshman) David Morley (sophomore) Nick Morley (freshman) Matthew Novit (freshman) Walter Turner (freshman) Angie Walker (freshman) Brandon Zitch (freshman) 2 First Elective Beginning Guitar Class at LVA Fall, 2002 Jennifer Anich Randie Barnes Robert Bravo (became a guitar major the following year) Stephanie Brinkerhoff (became a guitar major the following year) Abigail Burden Robert Cabrera Kathryn Carley (became a guitar major the following year) Shantell Crawford (became a guitar major the following year) Rostyslav Dzhurinsky Ricardo Garcia Chris Green (became a guitar major the following year) Adrina Hanson Charell Jackson Meghan LaFleur Kourtenaye Monroe Sasha Romandetti Kelly Seeley Angela Tramont Neil Vogt Summer Younguist The following guitar majors were seniors the year the guitar program began. Eli Bloecker Mary Haddad Rick Monsalvo These students graduated as guitar majors having had only one year of guitar at LVA. The following students were juniors during the first year and graduated with two years of guitar at LVA. Jeremy Gorlin Keith Hardin Barry Provost Jeremy Gorlin, Keith Hardin and Barry Provost were in guitar class with Mr. Swick at Palo Verde and came to LVA the same time Mr. Swick joined the faculty at LVA. 3 The following guitar students were sophomores during the 2002-03 school year. Kylee Andreasen (completed 3 years as a guitar major at LVA. First student to graduate in Nevada with 7 years of classroom guitar) Sarah Boka (completed 3 years as a guitar major at LVA) Stephanie Burleson (completed 3 years as a guitar major at LVA) Kathryn Carley (doubled majored in art and guitar her senior year) Evan Carlisle (graduated early after completing 2 years as a guitar major at LVA) Joe Farrell (completed 3 years as a guitar major at LVA) Chris (Green) Kullman (completed 3 years as a guitar major at LVA) David Morley (moved to Korea after 1 year at LVA) Kylee Andreasen was in guitar for one year at Palo Verde High School with Mr. Swick and transferred to LVA with Mr. Swick. The following guitar students were freshmen during the 2002-03 school year: Brandon Beligni (moved to Utah after freshman year) Stephen Boggioni (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Ryan Boylan (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Jaron Brumley (left LVA after freshman year) Addison Costella (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Marquicia Dominigue (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Nick Giordano (switched majors after junior year) Brendan Mahathey (graduated early at the completion of junior year) Ryan Merriman (left LVA during freshman year) Nick Morley (moved to Korea after freshman year) Matthew Novit (left LVA after junior year) Shane Olivas (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Sarah O’Malley (left LVA after junior year) Jeckster Rico (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Walter Turner (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Angie Walker (first to complete four years of classroom guitar at LVA) Brandon Zitch (switched majors after sophomore year) Stephen Boggioni, Nick Giordano and Sarah O’Malley were guitar students with Mr. Swick at Rogich Middle School and came to LVA as freshmen. The First LVA Guitar Quartet The first LVA Guitar Quartet consisted of Keith Hardin, Jeremy Gorlin, Kylee Andreasen and Eli Bloeker. Keith, Jeremy and Kylee had been in a quartet together at Palo Verde the previous year before transferring to LVA. The quartet performed at numerous conventions and special events the first year of its existence at LVA. 4 The First Senior Guitarist to Receive the Principal’s Award Eli Bloeker was the recipient of the first Principal’s Award presented to a senior guitar major. Eli received this award at Senior Awards Night in the spring of 2003. Outstanding Accomplishments the First Year 2002-03 1. Twenty-six out of the twenty-eight guitar students who qualified for the Nevada Music Educators Association All-State Solo & Ensemble were LVA guitar students. 2. The advanced guitar ensemble performed at the 2003 Winter NAMM Convention as part of a GAMA presentation. 3. The advanced guitar ensemble appeared on Fender Musical Instrument Corp.’s guitar education DVD. 4. LVA music department received its third Gold Grammy Award. 5. Recorded two CD’s, The First Year 2003, which features 12 tracks of selected large ensemble pieces by both Varsity 1 and Varsity 2, and LVA Guitar Solo & Ensemble 2003 featuring the students who received a Superior Rating at Solo & Ensemble in February, 2003. 6. Hosted the 2nd Annual CCSD Director’s Choice Honor Guitar Ensemble The first performance given by the LVA guitar program was on October 22, 2002 in the Band Room at 7:00 p.m. Approximately fifty people were in attendance for this performance. This performance was the first guitar recital featuring guitar soloists and small ensembles. The following is a program from this first performance. 5 October 22, 2002 7:00 p.m. Las Vegas Academy First Guitar Recital Location: LVA Band Room Admission: Free Op. 45, No. 1-Wohlfahrt Cantabile Francesco Molino David Morley Stephanie Burleson Angela Walker Op. 45, No. 16 Wohlfahrt Joe Farrell Capriccio Anton Logy Brandon Beligni Am Study No. 3 Matteo Carcassi Brendan Mahathey Mary Haddad Jazz Rhythm No. I Am Study No. 5 Dionisio Aguado Addison Costella Sarah Boka Rick Monsalvo Am Study No. 7 Aaron Shear Jazz Rhythm No. 2 Am Study No. 8 Claude Gagnon Jeremy Gorlin Sarah O'Malley Rick Monsalvo Am Study No. 10 Cees Hartog Rondo No. 2 J.P. Rameau Jeckster Rico Angela Walker Brendan Mahathey Em Study No.1 Traditional Walter Turner Stephen Boggioni Trios 5, 6 & 7 Ferdinando Carulli C Study No. 4 Carlo Domeniconni Keith Hardin Barry Provost Kylee Andreasen Jeremy Gorlin Am/C Study No. I Matteo Carcassi Shane Olivas Fit as a Fiddle Lennie Neihaus Stephanie Burleson Am Study No. 12 Niccolo Paganini Brandon Beligni C/Am Study No. 1 Niccolo Paganini Brendan Mahathey Nick Giordano Joe Farrell Andante No. 2 Fernando Sor Swinging the Changes Mike Christiansen Kylee Andreasen Mary Haddad Shane Olivas Study in Bm Fernando Sor Jeckster Rico Keith Hardin Eli Bloecker Study in D Fernando Sor Jeremy Gorlin 6 The following students are the first to complete four years as guitar majors at LVA. These students were freshmen the year the guitar program at LVA began. Stephen Boggioni Ryan Boylan Addison Costella Marquicia Dominigue Shane Olivas Jeckster Rico Walter Turner Angie Walker All but one of these eight students also had classroom guitar at the middle school level. Stephen Boggioni (guitar at Rogich MS 7th & 8th grades)-2 years with Mr. Swick Ryan Boylan (attended K.O. Knudson and had no guitar)-0 years Addison Costella (guitar at Molasky MS 7th & 8th grades)-2 years Marquicia Dominigue (guitar at Swainston MS 8th grade)-1 year Shane Olivas (guitar as Explorations at Thurman White MS ½ year of 6th & ½ year of 7th grades)-1 year Jeckster Rico (guitar at Molasky MS 6th & 7th grade)-2 years Walter Turner (guitar at Leid MS 6th, 7th & 8th grades)-3 years Angie Walker (guitar at Molasky 7th and Leavitt MS 8th grades)-2 years The following are the total years of classroom guitar each of these eight students completed. Stephen Boggioni-6 years Ryan Boylan-4 years Addison Costella-6 years Marquicia Dominigue-5 years Shane Olivas-5 years Jeckster Rico-6 years Walter Turner-7 years Angie Walker-6 years First to Graduate with 7 Years of Classroom Guitar As mentioned earlier, Kylee Andreasen was the first student in the state of Nevada and possible the U.S. to graduate from high school having completed seven years of classroom guitar. She began her first guitar class in the sixth grade at Becker MS with teacher, Bob Morris. She completed three years of guitar at Becker MS and started high school at Palo Verde HS. 7 Kylee was placed in the Intermediate Guitar class her freshman year at Palo Verde. Her teacher at Palo Verde was Bill Swick. When Mr. Swick transferred to the Las Vegas Academy in 2002, Kylee followed and was placed in the first advanced guitar class at LVA. She remained in that class the following three years. Kylee was also a member of the Palo Verde HS Guitar Quartet her freshman year and was a member of the LVA Guitar Quartet all three years she attended LVA. During the final month of her senior year, Kylee was awarded a special trophy created in the custom shop of Fender Musical Instruments, Corp.