Afterschool program offers certain some students music lessons free of charge - The Carroll News

For the past 10 years, acclaimed Carroll County musician Josh Pickett has helped aspiring musical artists fine tune their dreams with private lessons at his Cana studio. Through a new 21st Century Grant, certain Carroll County Intermediate School students will now have the opportunity to learn music from Pickett free of charge.

“It’s basically a grant that will give students the opportunity to learn music that might not otherwise have that option through private lessons. I have been trying to get into the schools for a long time,” Pickett said. “We live in such a musically-rich area, and I want some of these kids to have the same chance I had growing up and playing music. It kept me out of a whole lot of other stuff I could have been into. I think it will be a good thing for students to take advantage of.”

The world of music has certainly taken Pickett places must people only dream about. As the guitar player for up-and-coming country band The Church Sisters, Pickett played for President Barack Obama during a campaign stop in Roanoke last summer. As a member of the No Speed Limit Band, Pickett also played for the Queen of England in Richmond in 2008 and at the inauguration for then-Virginia Governor Tim Kaine in 2006.

On his 16th birthday, Pickett became the youngest person to ever win the International Guitar Championship at Merlefest, an honor he still claims. Aside from his current gig with The Church Sisters, Pickett also plays with Larry Cordle, a well-known songwriter from Nashville who has written nearly 20 #1 country hits.

Pickett has always enjoyed teaching as he currently gives private lessons to 40 students in his Cana recording studio, Creekside Studio. There he teaches mandolin, guitar and bass to more advanced students. But he’s always wanted to work with younger students who might not have the means to take lessons. Knowing he would be back home more in 2013 than usual, he began to pursue the idea.

“I love working with kids and seeing them love music, and I love seeing that same fire in them learning that I had when I was that age,” Pickett said. “When you see that it makes you feel really good. You know what they are feeling and you know the drive they have.”

So Pickett called Carroll County Assistant Superintendent of Schools Mark Burnette and told him of his idea to work with kids, especially in a situation where money would not be an issue. Burnette told Pickett about the 21st Century Grant and the two immediately began “brainstorming” ideas.

“And we came up with this idea on offering the afterschool class to students. Sometimes as your buddies play music, I think it not only draws the ones that already play and have interest, I think it will get other kids interested,” Pickett said. “I’ve taught for about 10 years and one of the things I have seen happen in kids is they will come in and they might be struggling in school, or they might be having problems at home, and music is their outlet. Some of those kids I see come in are some of the best I’ve had because music is their getaway. Sometimes it can be the first real thing they have a passion for. I think it will be a really great opportunity for any child in intermediate school that has thought about music, or maybe hasn’t, to think about it and get in on some free lessons.”

Pickett said signups will be held in the office at Carroll County Intermediate in the next couple of weeks. The class will be an afterschool program, and interested students must already be signed up in the Cavalier Afterschool Summer Enrichment (CASE) Program. Initially, classes will last an hour on Thursdays. Each class will have 10 students. When the first class fills up, another class of 10 will be offered, and so on, Pickett said. The program is strictly for CASE program students at CCIS, so it will be offered to eighth and ninth graders this year, and sixth, seventh and eighth graders next year when the grading structure changes in Carroll schools.

“It will be called music ed, and it will be basically any style of music, even covering several instruments they might want to play. It will be for those that might want to play or that already play,” Pickett said. “We’re hoping the class will pull together some of the musical students and some of the ones that would like to be. Maybe we’ll see some local bands form out of it and see some local kids taking off with their music.”

The class won’t solely be about learning an instrument. Pickett plans to bring in professionals from the music business from time to time to show students the different aspects of music, from how music is recorded, made, managed, etc.

“There are so many different paths you can go down in music such as music production and management. The management of bands is booming right now. You can use regular college courses like management and business in music itself,” Pickett said. “Maybe you want to open your own recording studio. There are a lot of avenues you can go if you enjoy music. I’m just trying to open some doors and let kids realize you don’t have to be the greatest guitar player in the world to make a living. The music business needs more than players.”

As for the music itself, Pickett wants his students to be appreciative of all kinds of music. While bluegrass is his favorite, he also likes pop and rock music. You shouldn’t have to choose one style of music over another, he said.

“It is about being appreciative of everything. What a lot of younger kids don’t realize about music, if it were not for some of the earlier acoustic music, there wouldn’t be pop and rock,” Pickett said. “I want to lay the road where they can see how this evolved into that and helped form the styles they know of now.”

View the original article here

Concert review: Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley bring a double-barrel blast ... - NewsOK.com (blog)

Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert performs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 8, 2013. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, For The Oklahoman

To see more photos from Miranda Lambert’s set, click here. To see more photos from Dierks Bentley’s set, click here. To read my preview interview with Dierks Bentley, click here. To read my preview interview with Lee Brice, click here.

Country music fans got a double-barrel blast of boundless energy and nonstop hits Friday night as Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and her longtime pal Dierks Bentley aimed their “Locked & Reloaded Tour” at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

With their dynamic set lists and easy charisma, the superstar co-headliners set their sights on thrilling the near-sellout audience, and judging from the way they kept the rowdy crowd stomping, cheering and dancing through both blazing sets, the show hit a bull’s-eye.

Lee Brice tripped the trigger on the nearly 3 ½-hour hit parade with his raucous “Parking Lot Party.” But the singer-songwriter, who was casually clad in worn jeans, an untucked button-down shirt and a backwards ball cap, got fans wailing along early with his smash ballads “A Woman Like You,” “Hard to Love” and “Love Like Crazy.” Whether he was playfully popping the top on a cold one for “Beer” or sincerely dedicating “I Drive Your Truck” to our military servicemen and women and their families, the South Carolina native boasted a winning smile and plenty of southern charm.

Dierks Bentley performs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 8, 2013. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, For The Oklahoman

When it comes to effortless charm and sheer energy, though, it’s hard to imagine many country stars topping Bentley, who soon made use of every inch of his big two-tier stage. The Arizona native immediately incited the boisterous crowd with a trio of amped-up hits: “Am I the Only One,” “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and “5-1-5-0.”

“That’s what it’s all about tonight,” said Bentley, who took the stage in torn jeans, a black cap that he mostly wore backward, an olive green T-shirt he soon sweated through and a well-worn acoustic guitar.

“This is my fourth time playing in this building, and I can guarantee y’all this’ll be the best time we’ve played here. We’re gonna make the best memories here,” he added, closing his eyes as he crooned the ballad “Every Mile a Memory.”

As he cranked the energy back up with “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,” which he said he wrote years ago on a bus in Oklahoma City, the singer-songwriter made sure the night was particularly memorable for one teenage fan.

Bentley pulled Ashlan Mays of Lindsay out of the pit and onto the stage, strapped his electric guitar on her and gave her a quick music lesson. While the superstar dashed around the stage slapping high-fives and tossing picks into the crowd, his band supportively surrounded the teen, who kept strumming with a bemused smile. At the end of the song, Bentley mischievously pointed to Mays, doffed his cap, took a bow and sprinted off the stage. Fortunately, he didn’t leave the rest of the show to the young fan, although he later gave her a signed guitar as a keepsake.

When he returned to belt “Feel That Fire,” he incorporated the fan-favorite moment into the lyrics: “that girl wanted to play my guitar in the Oklahoma City show.” It was one of many Oklahoma name-drops Bentley worked into his set, and while they predictably evoked enthusiastic screams from the multitude, the performer seemed to have a genuine affection for the Sooner State.

Before going acoustic with “Settle for a Slowdown,” Bentley noted that Ronnie Canada, father of his pal Cody Canada of the bands Cross Canadian Ragweed and The Departed, was in the audience.

“Cody is the reason I wear this hat. He gave me this hat a couple of years ago. I think of him every night. We don’t get to hang out as much as we used to, but he’s one of my best friends,” Bentley said.

“Ronnie reminded me that the last time we played OKC, my mom and dad were here … now my dad is no longer with us. So thanks for being here on this special night and being part of the tour.”

Bentley, who is working on his seventh studio album, even offered up new music with the earnest ballad “I Hold On.”

“If I had to describe myself to a complete stranger … it would be this song,” he said.

The sexy come-on “Come a Little Closer” got the ladies singing and swaying, the high-octane “Sideways” put everyone in a party state of mind, but it was Bentley’s bluegrass number “Up on the Ridge” that brought the set’s biggest mood shift. With the lights smoky and shadowed, he and his band mates gathered on the top tier of the stage and absolutely threw it down against massive video projection of a moonlit forest.

Still, Bentley saved the best for last, closing with his patriotic hit “Home.” Standing amid spotlights resembling moonbeams, he encouraged the fans to light and raise their cell phones, beautifully filling the arena with simulated starlight as his devotees crooned along with the uplifting anthem.

“There’s something special about Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Thanks for always make us feel at home,” he said.

Playing her adopted home state, Lambert was not about to be outdone by her tour mate.

Miranda Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, performs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 8, 2013. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, For The Oklahoman

Accompanied by Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls),” her video introduction paid homage to strong women from the Queen Bey herself and Reba McEntire to Annie Oakley and Patsy Cline and set the stage for the riotous opening salvo of “Fastest Girl in Town,” “Only Prettier” and “That’s the Way the World Goes ‘Round.”

Strutting around the stage in a sparkly silver skirt, leathery black lace-up top and knee-high black boots, tossing her recently shortened and straightened blond locks and showing off her signature stomping-and-spinning dance moves, the Texas native was the epitome of womanly confidence. But she soon proved she wasn’t afraid to show her vulnerable side.

“All my in-laws are in the house tonight, so forgive me if I start crying,” the Tishomingo resident said as her band began playing her heartbreaking hit “Over You.”

She didn’t even make it into the first verse of the ode she wrote with her husband, Blake Shelton, about the death of his brother before she was overcome with emotion. Fortunately, her faithful fans knew every word and were more than willing to belt them out, so she simply held out the microphone and let them sing as she wiped away tears. Her devotees shouted out encouragement as she took a deep breath and took over on the second stanza.

“Thanks for the help, y’all. Hells bells, I’m already crying. … Crying equals drinking and drinking makes sure we’re gonna have a good time tonight,” she quipped, sipping from a black insulated cup and then launching into her heartfelt chart-topper “Heart Like Mine.”

Alternately wielding an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar and a microphone — all in pretty shades of pink — the singer-songwriter boldly mixed her new hits like “Mama’s Broken Heart” and “Baggage Claim” with her older favorites like “Kerosene” and “New Strings” and stirred in a couple of fun covers for good measure. After giving a cowbell a few good introductory whacks with a drumstick, she growled through a sexed-up rendition of Mountain’s rock classic “Mississippi Queen,” and she later showcased her band as she drawled the Beatles’ galloping number “Get Back.”

“I brought some of the girls from my store in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, with me tonight,” she said, referring to her clothing and gift shop The Pink Pistol. “Somehow, we’ve managed to make that little town famous.”

She dedicated “Famous in a Small Town,” which clearly resonated with many of her Sooner State devotees, to her adopted hometown. Video footage of the Oklahoma flag, homegrown superstars like Vince Gill and Johnny Bench, the Oklahoma City Thunder logo and signs from various local bars drew appreciative yells, but the University of Oklahoma logo provoked a mix of cheers and boos.

“Let me tell you something: I’m from Texas, so y’all just calm down,” she admonished the “house divided.”

After her band played a bit of the cowboy standard “Red River Valley” as a lead-in, the fans were united in their adoration of Lambert’s Grammy-winning ode “The House That Built Me,” which she crooned fervently.

“I know you have a million ways to spend your hard-earned money, and we appreciate you spending it on country music tonight. I’m just an everyday average country girl doing what I do best and that’s sing to people. But I’ve got my insecurities and I’ve had my share of people tell me I’m not good enough or pretty enough or skinny enough. … I want everybody here to believe in yourselves,” she said, encouraging the throng to really listen to her story-song “All Kind of Kinds,” with its theme about accepting people’s differences.”

She shared more life lessons — “My daddy taught me two things: How to use a shotgun gun and that it’s never OK for a man to hit a woman” — before scorching through her fiery closer “Gunpowder & Lead.

But she and her band didn’t keep the screaming crowd waiting long for an encore, keeping it sassy with her first career No. 1 hit, “White Liar.”

“I love my daddy and my brother and I’m happily married,” she said, although Shelton unfortunately didn’t put in an appearance. “But it’s our job to keep you guys in line,” she added, evoking shouts of agreement from the ladies in the audience as she launched into her impressively soulful “best white-girl version” of Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man.

And she closed the concert by inviting the two men who opened it for her — Brice and Bentley — and various members of their bands — one of whom surreally donned the mask of a Cox Communications “Digeez” mascot — for the spirited bluegrass sing-along “Bad Angel,” an entertaining romp Lambert and Jamey Johnson recorded with Bentley for his 2010 album “Up on the Ridge.”

Lambert and Bentley will bring their highly recommended “Locked & Reloaded Tour” back to Oklahoma for an April 13 show at Tulsa’s BOK Center. Canadian country singer Corb Lund will take over the opener slot for Brice, who is getting married next month.

View the original article here

East Hill Guitar Instruction to Host Community Music Festival - PR Web (press release)

Pensacola, FL (PRWEB) March 08, 2013

East Hill Guitar Instruction, located in Pensacola FL, aims to bring the community together and showcase the talents and hard work of its many students. The East Hill Music Festival will feature 3-4 bands, comprised of students ages 9-17, that will be performing music from a variety of styles and artists including B.B King, Rush, Bob Marley and more. Original pieces written by students and music teachers will also be performed.

This event will take place on Saturday, March 23rd at Bayview Park, from 2pm-6pm. If you are a parent or community member interested in volunteering, or a student needing community hours, please visit http://easthillguitar.com/music-festival for further information.

Open to the community, the Festival will benefit the Gulf Coast Kid’s House, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the families and children of Escambia County live free from abuse and neglect. You can learn more about the Gulf Coast Kid’s House here.

View the original article here

Six String Heroes: Using music to help veterans heal - Quincy Herald Whig

By MAGGIE MENDERSKI
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Steve Stoner has spent two years recruiting veterans for a unique kind of military band.

Stoner, a Quincy native, has helped teach more than 100 veterans with disabilities to play the guitar. Six String Heroes, a St. Louis based nonprofit, uses the guitar to help those with post traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities cope with their difficulties. Once trained, the veterans jam together once a week.

"The strumming of the guitar or the vibration of the guitars helps them relax in a way that medicine never had," Stoner said.

Stoner piloted the program at the Jefferson Barracks VA Hospital and has expanded it to his hometown with the help of Second String Music and Vancil Performing Arts. Those businesses hope to aid more local veterans and raise additional funds for the program by sponsoring an evening of music and dancing at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Turner Hall. The Cheeseburgers and ClockWork will perform.

"All the money that gets raised goes directly to buying guitars and accessories for the veterans," Stoner said.

The organization provides eight free guitar lessons as well as the materials needed to learn. Wayne Bridges of Palmyra, Mo., is one of seven veterans who have taken advantage of Six String Heroes' Quincy-based affiliates. Bridges picked up his first guitar nearly two decades after his discharge in 1990.

The U.S. Army veteran needed a change in his life, and Six String Heroes offered him an opportunity to learn the guitar and consequently better manage his disability.

"I needed something," Bridges said. "I did a lot of just sitting in the house. It's done wonders."

When veterans complete the eight lessons, the organization gives the vet a new guitar and all the accessories needed to foster the new talent. As Bridges' passion grew, so did his guitar collection. Five instruments later, he figured another veteran could use the gifted instrument more than he could. He donated it back to Six String Heroes so another veteran taking lessons could practice.

"It's such a good program," Bridges said. "I want the guitar to help get other people involved."

Frank Haxel and his wife, Cindy Vancil of Vancil Performing Arts, said they became involved because they had several family members who had served in the military. They wanted their business to support those who had given so much to their country.

"These guys need help. They come back with post traumatic stress disorder," Haxel said. "We tried to help them through the healing power of music."

After Bridges finished his free lessons, he continued honing his musical skills. Now the music has brought him two equally gratifying social outlets. He sits in with the band Pepper Spray every other week, and he also plays the guitar at home with his 7-year-old daughter Riley.

"We're about at the same playing level," he said. "I'm teaching her ‘Breakdown' by Tom Petty. She loves that one."

During the free lessons, Stoner or one of the organization's instructors teaches the veteran three chords. Once they've mastered those three chords, the musician can play roughly 20 songs.

Like Bridges, the St. Louis veterans benefit from the social aspect, too. They meet for a Six String Heroes jam session once a week. They bring new songs to learn, and they continue expanding their skills together. Eventually, some of them learn enough skills that they can teach others entering the program.

Haxel hopes eventually Quincy can generate enough guitar-playing veterans to warrant weekly jam sessions. While the guitar soothes nerves, Stoner said present-day war to World War II veterans can benefit from the social aspect of the program.

View the original article here

Student senate offers free guitar lessons - The WSU Sign Post

Courtesy of the student senate, free guitar lessons are held every Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Room 316 of the Shepherd Union Building. The classes are aimed toward beginners, but people of every skill level
 (Photo by John Bedford) Kelsey Spaulding and Logan Toupin practice the guitar at the free guitar lessons taught by David Wilson. The lessons are hosted by the student senate as a part of Weber Gives Back.

can attend. David Wilson, a sophomore majoring in international economics and the traditional student senator, teaches the class.

“I play in a band locally, and people always came up to me and asked if I do lessons, if I teach lessons,” Wilson said. “Two or three weeks ago, I put out an ad on Facebook on who wanted lessons, and I got a good response from it. I was going to charge $10 a lesson for 45 minutes, and I was like, ‘If I don’t charge and just make it free, it can take a lot of pressure off from me.’ So I told everyone I would do one free lesson, and it goes about 30-45 minutes.”

The lessons are under the senate name Weber Gives Back. Wilson told the idea to the legislative vice president, who thought it was a good idea, so the senate ran with it.

“I’ll teach basically how to teach yourself guitar and how to read music, how to play the chords,” Wilson said. “I think if people can just understand the basics and learn how to read music, they can kind of take it on their own past that.”

By the end of the semester, according to Wilson, a student who attends the lessons can expect to be able to read music, play the basic chords, understand a little of music theory and read songs.

“We are just doing the basics, kind of like a progressive lesson schedule,” Wilson said. “That was it. A lot of friends wanted lessons. Everyone’s like, ‘I got a guitar and have always wanted to play’, so I’m giving back a little bit.”

Logan Toupin, a senior studying criminal justice, said he has his reasons for wanting to learn guitar.

“I would like to learn how to play the guitar so I can play it for the girls, because girls like guitar,” Toupin said. “I try to do as much as I can, so I figured guitar would become one of those hobbies I could do with all my time and night until I get the ladies. . . . I get sick of just doing the usual — Instagram, Facebook, Gmail, kind of little triangle-type circle thing that I just rotate through my phone. I do my little cycle of phone stuff and I’m like, you know what, I want to pick up a new hobby. It will break up the day and give me something else to look forward to.”

This is the second week the classes have been held, so it’s not too late for students to join. Students only need to bring a guitar and a pick.

“First reason (I wanted to learn): we have a guitar in our house, but I have no idea how to use it, how to play it,” said Kelsey Spaulding, an interior design and technical sales major. ”My sister tried to teach me once, and that lasted four weeks. It was kind of like a crash-course failure. The second reason was because I know David, and I just wanted to come support him, and what better other reason than No. 3: It’s on my bucket list to learn guitar. It’s just a fun thing to learn. No time better than the present.”

View the original article here

Henderson native Todd Ballard finds way to stay grounded - Evansville Courier & Press

Adam Row / Special to The Courier & Press Todd Ballard,a 40-year-old native of Henderson, Ky., is a singer/songwriter and 18-year-veteran worship leader. He will perform May 6 at First Christian Church in Newburgh, with donations to benefit The Potter’s Wheel, an inner-city nonprofit his father founded.
Todd Ballard’s story is more than just another tale about a local kid making it big in the music industry.
His journey, while always grounded in faith, wove its way from one emphasis to another and back again, said his father, Mike Ballard.
The path started with aspirations of being a Christian “rock star,” shifted to church ministry and then turned back to the call of music.
Bryce Boyer / Special to The Courier & Press Todd Ballard is a Henderson, Ky., native who now lives in Colorado. Ballard’s debut album, “Anthems,” released early in February, reached Billboard’s Top 10 list almost overnight. Adam Row / Special to The Courier & Press  "Anthems" Todd Ballard's debut album
The 40-year-old Henderson, Ky., native, singer/songwriter and 18-year-veteran worship leader released his debut album, “Anthems” early in February, to critical acclaim — reaching Billboard’s Top 10 list almost overnight.
Ballard, a 1991 Henderson County High School graduate, will be in the Tri-State on May 3 for a concert at First Christian Church in Newburgh, he said in a recent telephone interview.
The 7 p.m. concert is open and free to the public, said Ballard, who now makes his home in Colorado. Proceeds of a goodwill offering will go to support the Potter’s Wheel Ministry, an inner-city mission founded in Evansville in 2002 by his father, Michael Ballard.
“He has always served God; he has never given us one day of trouble,” said Mike Ballard.
But Todd’s interest in music wavered.
“We paid for guitar lessons when he was about 10 years old, and he came home after the second lesson, complaining that his fingers hurt,” Mike Ballard said. “And that was the end of that.”
Todd Ballard said he learned to play when he asked for and received a guitar for Christmas, when he was 21 years old and in college in Denver.
The notion of becoming a Christian music “rock star” took root, and back in the Tri-State he assembled a group of musicians and founded the Christian band, “No Shades of Gray” based in Owensboro, Ky. They played concert dates across the country for about four years, Mike Ballard said.
But something was not quite right, Todd Ballard said: “Every musician has illusions of grandeur, but when I got my first offer on a record deal, I turned it down.”
God, he said, was calling him to a different path.
He moved back to Colorado in 2003, at age 29, and took a job as worship leader at the Abundant Life (Assemblies of God) Church in Denver.
That same year, he began collaborating with some like-minded friends, planning a church plant that, in 2005, became Red Rocks Church in Golden, Colo.
It is an enormously successful church, which Todd Ballard described as “a kind of nondenominational church with a younger style (of worship), a church that sees 6,000 to 7,000 people a week, and is one of the growing churches in America.”
He served as worship leader there until about a year ago, when the call of music again caused a shift in the trajectory of his life.
Ballard cites groups such as Angels and Airwaves and 30 Seconds to Mars as strong musical influences, but he has focused his work on sounding unique, blending music and lyrics “that resonate, that spur audiences to emotionally charged experiences of praise and adoration of the Lord,” he said.
The 13 songs (lyrics and music) on the CD were written by Ballard, some in collaboration with other musicians, he said.
“I realized I had these gifts (songwriting and performance). It all came so naturally. Eleven years after turning down that first recording opportunity, God has opened that door again, but now it’s different; I have no desire to be a star. I want to be a husband and a father and worship God. If (God) gives me that opportunity, I want to do that.”

View the original article here