April Birthdays 
Children LOVE live music. The band in which I play, has played a number of events which were held in public venues which are open to all ages and I always enjoy watching the effect live music has upon children. In many cases, they congregate near the front of the stage and dance without a shred of self-consciousness. When they tired of dancing, they would stick around and listen. It was as if live music cast an irresistible spell upon them.
I gave that a bit of thought and remembered that when I was a child, I loved music every bit as much, but very rarely did I have the opportunity to see music performed live. Then, as I got older and began learning to play music, I was frustrated by the fact that most live music took place in venues with liquor licenses and minors were not allowed (for good reason, I might add).
Speaking to a good friend, somewhat my senior, he told tales of standing in the alley behind Shaner’s, a club in downtown Denver, late at night, so he could hear jazz guitarist Johnny Smith. Eventually, someone in the kitchen took pity upon him and arranged an introduction to Johnny, between sets.
First, let me clarify, I’m not thinking in terms of “Children’s Music” or whatever is flavor of the month on some radio station, I am thinking in terms of allowing children to hear forms of music that might not be commercially promoted. While live music venues open to youngsters were all but non-existent in my home town, I was fortunate in that the local school system promoted music in the schools. In grade school, we had a music class where we sang, listened to music and learned some basic theory. Thanks Mrs. LaVonne; I may not have been paying much attention at the time, but your lessons did sink in and have served me well for many years. We also had music appreciation classes (thanks Mr. Mc Daniels) and I learned a lot from being in choir. I am gratified that I was recently able to visit my choir teacher and thank her in person. For the record, thanks again Mrs. May.
But a lot has changed since I got out of school and many kids are not getting even a fraction of the exposure to music that I was privileged to experience. Then there are the relative handful of kids whom take to music like a fish to water, but may not have opportunities to interact with other children that comprehend music at the same level. I remember being frustrated, at times, and wishing I could hear my guitar teacher play live and/or meet other musicians my age who were into more than just the songs getting airplay on the local Top 40 station.
Meeting musicians used to be easy. Go hang out at the music store and whomever walked in was probably musically inclined. Unfortunately, the neighborhood music store is an endangered species, so this avenue of introduction is no longer easy to come by.
How could children be given access to real music?
I wish I had answers for this one. Actually, I can think of several answers, but financing such ideas and making them financially viable may be another matter altogether. I’ve often dreamed of having a music venue, near a large city, but remote enough to be cost effective to operate.
I can think of one example, a rustic dinner theater west of Tucson that served a chuck wagon dinner for a reasonable price and featured the Sons of the Pioneers as entertainment. Children could come with their parents and see a pretty decent show. But the facilities were very simple, basically bench seating and mess hall style tables. The building was rustic and, I believe, was only operated during the winter months, which meant no air conditioning was needed. I only visited once, and that night they announced that they had sold the facility. I don’t have any idea what ever came of it after that.
I couldn’t even dream of being able to finance such a venture, but I’ve often thought that a simple showplace could possibly be viable if it were near a big city, booked various traveling acts, and hosted other events aimed at youngsters during the daytime hours. Perhaps musicians from the traveling acts could be persuaded to host clinics and attract people of all ages to participate.
Perhaps a better way to go would be to rent existing facilities for events and try to make music accessible to youngsters that way. Almost 16 years ago, I went to a concert by Tommy Emmanuel which was held at, IIRC, the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmund on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. On Sunday morning, Tommy conducted a clinic in a vacant auto dealer showroom in OKC and it seemed to draw enough of a crowd to be financially viable.
In the case of the concert, it came down to one promoter organizing the event. I’m not sure if that same promoter organized the clinic, but my point is that someone, somewhere, made a few phone calls and was able to make something happen. Both the concert and the clinic were great musical opportunities for young people.
Perhaps the answer comes down to the individual level. Taking time to help any young musicians we happen to meet. Everything I know about music came to me from someone more experienced. Some of the most valuable lessons I ever learned happened when an experienced musician took just a minute or two to explain something to me. Just a few minutes jamming with a younger musician at a music store might leverage itself into a significant learning experience for the student. I’ve done this a few times myself and sometimes these kids will surprise you with how fast they pick up on music.
This can be powerful. I mentioned a friend who listened to Johnny Smith play guitar in an alley behind a nightclub in downtown Denver. Johnny was an established musician at the time, the composer of Walk, Don’t Run, and had a Gibson signature model made to his specifications, but he took the time to talk to a young musician and helped to set in motion a series of events. From that introduction, my friend became a student of Johnny’s, later became a teacher with a huge student load and went on to a career both as a performer, and also as a music store owner. He also is a manufacturer’s rep and distributor for a prestigious line of equipment. This same friend remained friends with Smith for the rest of Smith’s life, and after Johnny’s passing, he ended up both inheriting Johnny’s music memorabilia, and became the owner of Johnny’s Epiphone Triumph.
Being exposed to real music and the people whom play it can be a life changing event for a musically gifted person. It’s just unfortunate that a young musician might have to stand in a dark alley in order to gain exposure to live music.
—The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
