The purpose of this study is to examine guitar tablature as a strategy to facilitate student-led learning in order to contribute to liberation of music students in the elementary setting. This researcher seeks to understand the effect it has on beginning guitar students in elementary school and what role, if any, it should take in an elementary music guitar program. Guitar tablature is a musical notation system that brings some controversy into the world of music education. Tablature is a music literacy system used for a wide range of instruments including wind instruments, keyboard instruments and stringed instruments like the lute and guitar (Randel, 2003). The focus of this dissertation is its use for fretted stringed instruments, namely the guitar. As one of the oldest notation systems, it has been used by numerous composers including the J.S. Bach. University-trained music educators often shun the idea of using tablature in their music classrooms as university music programs emphasize standard notation to the exclusion of other systems. The vast majority of school music teachers do not consider tablature to be a legitimate system of music and do not use it in their instruction whether they are teaching guitar to elementary students, middle school students, or high school students. This dissertation reviews the developmental history of tablature, its strengths, and weaknesses as compared to treble clef staff notation, and suggests there is an appropriate place for tablature in a pedagogical sequence of guitar instruction based on the results of the research and an understanding of best practices in education in general, and music education in specific. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]