Emails for UNM-CE Fall 2026
Homework assignments are posted HERE
Beginning Guitar 1
September 29
Homework from September 24th:
Your number one most important job … show up to class!
Your number two most important job … have faith, this will work.
Your number three most important job … practice (it can be fun!)
Homework for Thursday:
-We are memorizing Brother John. Keep playing it.
-We are playing Three Blind Mice with TuffAxe. Thumb down rest strokes!
-We are playing the melody line of Farmer in the Dell. I know, it’s a bad song.
-We are memorizing all four chords on page 18.
-We are playing the three-chord songs on pages 25 through 30.
Your reminder page is here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
September 18
Class is going to be fun, fast, and a little crazy, so the best thing you can do is make sure you attend even if you can’t practice as much as you’d like. Do everything you can, and prepare to make lots of mistakes. In the next eight weeks you will see your guitar come alive with so many cool techniques. Practice a little, show up a lot, and I will get you where you want to go.
Here is where your homework reminders are posted: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
- Great job this week. We’re racing ahead to become legit guitarists.
- Play the melody line of Three Blind Mice over and over and over.
- Use page 18 and 19 to practice moving chords from A->D->E->A and D->G->A->D
- Play Itsy Bitsy Spider and London Bridges to get fast between A->E7->A
- Play Brother John as a warm-up each day.
Call or text if you have questions: garyjugert@yahoo.com 303-984-0777
September 12
Hey everyone! Wonderful first night. I hope you’re inspired to make all eight classes and I promise you’ll be playing real songs and sounding like a real guitarist in less than two months.
Your homework reminders are posted here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
Your most important job this week is playing Brother John so so so many times!
My email address is garyjugert@yahoo.com and my phone number is 303-984-0777. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
September 7
Hello! My name is Gary Jugert (sorta pronounced like “yogurt” — I know, weird — but Gary will be just fine) and I am so excited to get together with you Thursday to make some music on guitar. No musical or guitar experience is required, I’ll teach you what you need to know. We have a fun, fast and intense journey ahead. Eight weeks from today, you’re going to be amazing yourself and others.
My email address is garyjugert@yahoo.com and my phone number is 303-984-0777. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Be a little patient as I receive a lot of electronic communication and I’d rather be watching the birds.
If you own your own music stand, please bring it. If you don’t, we have some you can use in class.
I will bring copies of the sheet music UNM is kind enough to provide for us, but bring a three-ring binder to hold it all. I will have binders available for $5 if you need to buy one.
Please show up a little early if possible as traffic is typically intense at that time of day, and we have a full class, and I want to make sure your guitar is playable and in tune. We’ll start at 6 pm sharp and use the full hour. Our classroom is Room 226 on the second floor of the south building at the UNM Continuing Ed building at 1634 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131. There’s an elevator behind the stairs if your knees are as cranky as mine.
Please park in the west parking lot along University. It’s best if guitar players stick together and the lighting is a little better on that side of the building. 😉
If you’d like to download a copy of the book on PDF for use on an iPad, it is available here:
https://guitarorchestra.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GuitarOrchestraNetworkBook1Comp.pdf
Your homework each week will be posted here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
Our program at UNM is quickly becoming the largest in the city and I’m looking forward to meeting you, adding you to the “band,” turning you into a life-long musician, and making wonderful solo and ensemble music together.
Continuing Guitar 2
September 29
Phew! We are getting a lot of music on your plate. Practice as much as you can. Bring questions (and struggles) to class and we’ll fix ’em!
Homework from September 24th:
Technical Work 10%
-Make a Better Bar
-Flamenco chords in F shape
New Material 60%:
-Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’ (chords)
-Down in the Valley (all the ways)
-Für Elise (get it smooth!)
-Danny Boy (melody and TuffAxe)
-Waltzing Matilda (chords especially Bm)
Repertoire 30%
-Amazing Grace
-All Through the Night with “claw” position.
-The More We Get Together
-Anything else you love to play
Here’s your homework page: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
September 18
Here is where your homework reminders are posted: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
- How to Practice: 10% on technique. 60% on new material. 30% at the end playing stuff you love.
- Technical Work 10%
- Make a Better Bar
- Flamenco chords in F shape
- New Material 60%: Sound recordings for these are HERE
- All Through the Night with “claw” position.
- Für Elise
- The More We Get Together
- This week we’ll begin Danny Boy and Waltzing Matilda
- Repertoire 30%
- Amazing Grace
- Anything else you love to play
- Technical Work 10%
Call or text if you have questions: garyjugert@yahoo.com 303-984-0777
September 12
It was so wonderful to hear all of you playing together on Thursday. I’m very impressed by where you are and where we’re headed. You will be playing legit real TuffAxe smoothly and with dramatic appeal within the next eight weeks!
Your homework will be posted each week here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
Also, (beware, a bit of a sales pitch here) remember, if you want to double up the amount of insanity in your life … let me restate that … if you want to double up the awesomeness that is guitar in your life, the Guitar 3 Ensemble class begins this Wednesday at 6 pm and you should consider taking it too. We already have 25 people signed up and we want to make this class a problem for my boss due to it’s overwhelming amazingness! If you decide to join, it might wait list you, but sign up anyway and I’ll talk to the UNM gurus to figure out how to sneak you into the class. You’ll be in a concert surrounded by hundreds of admiring fans on December 9th.
Don’t hesitate to contact me at 303-984-0777 (texts please!) or email garyjugert@yahoo.com
And as an ongoing reminder, you should check with me to help you change strings once a year (at least) and you should never let one particular guitar store touch your guitar. There are other places in town that actually know what they’re doing. Call me first before you spend money.
September 7
Hello! My name is Gary Jugert (sorta pronounced like “yogurt” — I know, weird — but Gary will be just fine and you probably already know me) and it’s time to fire up those guitars, knock out eight weeks of wonderfulness, and most entertainingly, try to watch me learn your name. I am so excited to get together with you Thursday to make some music. As long as you kinda-sorta pulled off Row Row Row Your Boat from the TuffUke line in Book 1, you’re going to be great.
If you own your own music stand, please bring it.
I will bring copies of the sheet music UNM is kind enough to provide for us, but bring a three-ring binder to hold it all. I will have binders available for $5 if you need to buy one.
Please review All Through the Night from your Beginning Guitar book as we will start with it on Thursday.
My email address is garyjugert@yahoo.com and my phone number is 303-984-0777. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. You know I’m busy chasing squirrels off the bird feeders, so please be patient with my response time.
Please show up a little early if possible as we have a full house of guitarists and finding a seat will be the hardest part of class. As you know, getting situated with your guitar is kind of a pain if you arrive at the last second. We’ll start at 7:15 pm sharp and use the full hour. Our classroom is the same one on the second floor of the south building at the UNM Continuing Ed building at 1634 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131. There’s an elevator behind the stairs if your knees are as cranky as mine.
Please park in the west parking lot along University. It’s best if guitar players stick together and the lighting is a little better on that side of the building. 😉
If you’d like to download a copy of the book on PDF for use on an iPad, it is available here: https://guitarorchestra.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Guitar-UNMCE-2026-Fall-Book-Comp.pdf
Your homework each week will be posted here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
I’m looking forward to a challenging and fun fall making TuffAxe sound like heaven with you.
Ensemble Guitar 3
September 29
It’s getting real. Let’s dig into Hannukah and Bleak Midwinter this week.
- Hannukah Medley
- In the Bleak Midwinter
- Silent Night
- Silver Bells
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
You homework page will be housed here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
September 22
So we have 30-ish people in the ensemble as far as I can tell. That means several things:
1. I need you to bring your music stand. We only have half that many at the school.
2. I need you to be on time because thats a lot of bodies and guitars to move around.
3. I may need your help moving chairs.
If you are working with a small group, I will try to get an unused classroom opened for you.
And the music!
So far you have
-Silent Night
-Silver Bells
-We Wish You a Merry Christmas
You homework page will be housed here: https://guitarorchestra.com/ensemble/
I believe I will have two more pieces to give you this week and they’re pretty involved. I think they’re going to sound great and give you a little bit of a challenge. See you Wednesday (tomorrow?) or today if you unplugged at a reasonable hour.
