Marshall’s East Texas Performing Arts welcomes students to first guitar camp of summer
Published 5:30 am Wednesday, July 1, 2026
East Texas Performing Arts’ first youth guitar camp this past weekend at The Marshall Arts Collective hit all the right notes.
“East Texas Performing Arts is a nonprofit public charity, and our focus is largely on youth,” said Preston Taylor, the group’s vice president. “We do theater and concerts and our big music festival, Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards.”
The organization also gives away Gibson guitars to dedicated guitarists in high school as part of a collaboration with the Gibson Foundation.
“The guitar camps are a new idea, trying to get young people introduced to the guitar,” he said. “But at the same time, we have multiple instructors at the camps, so if someone comes in who is advanced, we can do both. We can do the beginners and the more advanced, at whatever level they’re at.”
On Saturday, two beginner students were taught by two members of the Monday Night Pickers, Scotty Welland and Ricky Maxey. Welland also serves as a volunteer of the Texas Sounds International CMA.
The Monday Night Pickers is a group of musicians who gather weekly to play music in downtown Marshall.
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The next Youth Guitar Camp is scheduled July 18. Call 925-497-3915 for details or visit easttexasperformingarts.org .