Las Vegas Academy Guitar Program

Directed by Bill Swick

The Las Vegas Academy has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a "New American High School" and a "Blue Ribbon School".  US News and World Reports has recognized LVA by giving it a Silver Rating.  The Clark County School District has rated LVA as a 5-Star School based on the School Performance Framework.  LVA is an eleven-time Grammy Award Winning school and the only school in the nation to be awarded the Grammy eight consecutive years including nine "Gold GRAMMYS."  The LVA Guitar Program is also the recipient of the Gibson Music Education Award.  LVA was one of the first schools to be recognized as one of the top three high school guitar programs in the nation.  The LVA Guitar Program has been selected to perform for two Guitar Foundation of America national conventions, has been awared 3 DownBeat Magazine awards, and has been invited to attend some of the most outstanding guitar festivals in the U.S.  The LVA Guitar department has recorded and released 16 cds.  Watch the 2010 GRAMMY presentation.

Watch the most recent coverage on Channel 8 News.

Watch the most recent coverage on Channel 3 News.

The guitar department was added in the 2002-03 school year.  Students must audition for acceptance into the school.  (See LVA Audition Guidelines).

Members of the advanced guitar class have performed at several national  NAMM conventions, two national MENC conventions, multiple national guitar festivals and numerous national conventions held in Las Vegas along with the regularly scheduled on-campus performances. (See LVA Guitar Performance Schedule)

To learn more about the history of the guitar program at LVA, click The History of the Las Vegas Academy Program 2002-2013, The First Eleven Years. (This is more than 100-page document and takes a few minutes to load.)