SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2026
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sign up today! Registration deadline is Friday, July 31, 2026, at 5:00 PM. Free strings with registration!
Early registrants: Anyone registered by June 30 at 5:00 PM will receive a free
Guitar Wars t-shirt at the event.
David Dunavant
Founder/CEO and Executive Director, Guitar Wars Inc.
David Dunavant is Arkansas’s highest-rated private guitar instructor and the founder of Guitar Wars Inc., the state’s only statewide amateur guitar competition and nonprofit for youth music education. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and a Master of Music in Jazz Guitar from Bowling Green State University. For 19 years, David has taught hundreds of students at four universities. He is known for expert instruction and mentorship.
He currently teaches private guitar lessons to adults and teens at Little Rock Music Academy. As the founder of Guitar Wars, David is dedicated to expanding music access for Arkansas youth through free instruments, music scholarships, and live performance opportunities.
Ryleigh Abbott
Chief Operating Officer, Guitar Wars Inc.
Ryleigh is the COO of Guitar Wars, she holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing from the University of UA Little Rock. She also studied abroad at one of Frances highest rated private business schools, KEDGE Business School where she pursued a Masters in Business. She also has musical abilities such as eight years of orchestra training with French Horn and is trained on many other instruments such as guitar and vocals.
As a member of Guitar Wars she oversees the daily aspects of the operation as well as assists David in running the yearly event at the Ron Robinson Theater. “Working for the Nonprofit is a dream come true, being able to give back to the community through music is an unexplainable joy. I am so grateful to be a part of the team!“
OUR VOLUNTEERS
Grant Coordinator
Jacqueline Mckisick
Scholarship Coordinator
Colin Frisby
OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Robert S Moore Jr
Anne Marie Doramus
Brady Aldy
Mike Speraw
2025 SPONSORS
501st Legion
Arkansas Rocks
Central Arkansas Library System
Casks-N-Que
David Dunavant
Little Rock Music Academy
Stringjoy
American Plumbing
Edward Jones
Meridiem Psychological Services, Inc.
Arkansas Community Foundation
Hillcrest Ukulele Society
Jones & Son
KASU
Commerce Title
LAMAR
D’Addario
Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau
MouseWatcher
Quattlebaum Music
Renown Music
CenterRock Advertising
Saied Music Company
Starling Music Studio
Steven Reynolds
Vino’s
The Works
Scholarships
The Guitar Wars Educational Foundation proudly awards 5 kids in the state of Arkansas each year a scholarship that is valued around $750. The scholarship includes 4 months worth of free guitar lessons and a new guitar that is worth around $200.