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Riverside Guitar School: The Story Behind the Brand

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11 years ago, after taking my then 6 month old son for a walk, I had a vision for a music teaching business that was welcoming to families, celebrated music and served the community. Up until that point I had been a gigging freelance musician but as my wife and I started growing our family I wanted to pivot to a life teaching the guitar skills that I had learned and honed in college and through my experience as a performer. I wanted to help families make music-making an everyday part of their life. I wanted to shift the conversation from performance to personal enjoyment and inner growth through participation in playing music, regardless of ability level.

My first space was in the neighborhood of Southtown near Madison and Hall and I called the studio Southtown Guitar. Over the next 5 years we moved around to 2 other commercial spaces and we finally found our bearings in 2016 when we moved to Eastown. At that point the name “Southtown Guitar” became awkward but I never found the time to secure a name change until last year.

Our rebrand to “Riverside Guitar School” in 2022 pays homage to my hometown’s location on the Grand River but even more significantly it references the old spiritual “Down by the Riverside.” This song speaks about a non-violent surrender of both defensive armor (the shield) and weapons used in offense (the sword). In a world filled with reports of school shootings, political rancor and international war, I want to lend a shoulder to an effort to bring something positive, non-violent and life-giving into the world. Students in our Young Strummers (ages 4 – 8 with a parent) and Ramblers (ages 9 – 12 with a parent) classes learn the song Down by the Riverside as well as Peace Like a River, Simple Gifts, If I Had a Hammer and others. These are the songs and messages I want to shape my four young sons and they are the songs and messages I want the kids (and adults) in my community to know and sing and play for themselves.

One of my recent heroes, Pete Seeger, believed ardently that participation is the thing that would save humanity — ordinary people participating in the life, struggles and solutions of their community. I am excited for the next chapter of Riverside Guitar School as we work to fill our new 8,000 square foot space with hundreds of students young and old all learning to make music with their own hands, voices and hearts — learning to move beyond being consumers of music to being participative creators of the music that fills their own living rooms, churches and classrooms.

Student Spotlight: Ira Faden at Michigan Veteran Homes

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Twice a week I have the honor of teaching a private lesson to my guitar student Ira Faden at the Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids. Ira is always curious about the guitar and never intimidated. When I arrive at our lesson Ira grabs his guitar and usually starts playing something right away – whether it’s a chord or just one string, he gives it all he has and I find that to be admirable. Many people feel intimidated when they are playing an instrument they don’t know a ton about and that intimidation can stifle the learning. Folks often surprise themselves with what they are capable of when they simply try. At Riverside we often say: “Everyone has to make mistakes.” I appreciate that Ira doesn’t shy away from making those mistakes! It allows for growth.

One of my favorite things about my time with Ira is that we don’t spend the majority of our time discussing theory or technique – we get right into the creation of music. Ira seems to write a new song or poem every night and they always have a way of surprising me with how detailed they are with his use of literary devices. You can listen to Ira’s song “Rita” here. Ira is often kicking something around in his mind that is deep and complex. He and I are similar in that we enjoy thinking about things that go beyond the day-to-day small talk that we are all a little bit too accustomed to. It can also be understandably challenging for people like Ira and me – whose minds tend to race – to finish a poem, song, film, class project, or even a simple chore.

Ira brings a lot to the table, but struggles to slow down and work on one thing at a time. The concept of finishing a song plagues many guitar-learners and aspiring songwriters. I give Ira suggestions on how to make the song or poem he’s working on palatable, but more importantly, “finishable”. I usually help him find a two or three chord progression in whatever key we are discussing for him to sing his lyrics with. Ira takes these suggestions really well and has an open mind about this every time, although he doesn’t shy away from declaring creative autonomy (and I like that!).

It’s been a great joy of mine guiding Ira and giving him the tools to get the most out of his musical journey. Ira’s childhood friend, Joe, has contacted Riverside Guitar School’s owner Dean and me a couple of times telling us how much of a difference he has seen in Ira since I began giving him guitar lessons. He says things like:

“He’s like a completely different person,” and

“I am starting to see the Ira I knew before the war.”

Joe also had mentioned how war had taken a toll on Ira, as I imagine it does on many people who serve. I can’t speak to how Ira was before I met him, but since I’ve known him he has been a fun and thoughtful person to be around. Sometimes all a person needs is a friend who is willing to listen and hang out. I’m happy to be that friend of Ira’s, and music acts as a great vehicle for conversation and friendship.

Book Recommendation: Jazz: A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings by Ben Ratliff

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I just finished reading this excellent book and wanted to recommend it. I have been a lover of jazz music ever since I took a jazz appreciation class at Knollcrest Music Camp in 8th grade and the teacher recommended purchasing Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I made that purchase and that album is still one of my favorites of all time.

I love jazz music, but I also love its history and mythology. As Ben Ratliff writes, “Sometimes you have to give in to a bit of the sentimentality that surrounds jazz history; it is, after all, a series of great stories.” Jazz: A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings is an excellent introduction to the entire sweep of jazz history from its earliest days in New Orleans to the key players at the time of the book’s publication (2002). Ratliff is an excellent writer and this book is worth reading on its own apart from the music it recommends. Some highlights of his poetic descriptions of music are: of John Coltrane’s solos: “They begin with low moans and grow into wild, gnashing electrical storms;” of Pat Metheny’s first album: “[It] has a silver-hued openness, a sensuality, that some might designate as American;” of Keith Jarrett: “What Jarrett repeatedly accomplishes…is the mystical moment where a song with a familiar melody becomes transformed; the band finds its window of original insight, clambers in there, and builds something with full-bore group improvisation that you haven’t ever heard before.”

Ratliff includes only 4 albums led by guitarists in his list of 100. These are:

  1. Djangology 49 by Django Reinhardt
  2. Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto
  3. The Inner Mounting Flame by the Mahavishnu Orchestra (guitarist John McLaughlin’s group)
  4. Bright Size Life by Pat Metheny

and only 4 more made Ratliff’s list of “Another 100” recommended recordings at the back of the book:

  1. The Genius of the Electric Guitar by Charlie Christian
  2. Laughing in Rhythm by Slim Galliard
  3. Idle Moments by Grant Green
  4. Free Lancing by James Blood Ulmer

The scant guitar material doesn’t surprise me as the guitar has most often taken a back seat to the piano as an accompaniment instrument in jazz and to the piano, trumpet or saxophone as a lead instrument. Indeed, only a small percentage of Ratliff’s 100 recording recommendations even include a guitarist anywhere in the instrumentation. Still, there is much good music to explore here for guitarists both on our instrument and off as we admire excellent music by all sorts of musicians.

If you’re looking for a way to begin learning about and appreciating jazz music or if you’re already a jazz fan looking to deepen your knowledge of its history and key recordings, Jazz: A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings is highly recommended.

Vincent’s ideas for effective practice

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Learning how to practice is probably the most difficult thing to learn, yet most critical part of growing as a musician. I am sharing my thoughts and experiences with practice to try to make it a less daunting task.

Routine

It’s important to have a routine or habit of practice. If you can manage to build small practice sessions into your daily or weekly schedule, you will notice huge strides of progress in a relatively short amount of time. 

Your practice time could be early in the morning, right after school or work, or after dinner – but it should be a time you have consistently available to yourself unobstructed. To sit down and start playing without having to “decide” to do it is more helpful than you might realize. 

The amount of time matters less than the consistency with which you practice. I tend to practice in bursts of about 20 minutes. But If I can’t do 20 minutes, I do 10, or even 5. 5 minutes a day is better than nothing. And you can still get a lot done in 5 minutes – if you practice efficiently. 

Specificity is Efficiency

When I was growing up, I would never actually practice. I would just play. I would sit down and play through a piece start to finish, never stopping to fix mistakes (and if I did stop, I would always start back at the beginning of the piece). This is the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. 

Practice with a specific goal in mind. A hyper-specific goal. One phrase, one measure, or even just jumping accurately between two notes. This is where the real learning happens. 

I start with identifying an error – say there was a huge, noticeable, ugly mistake in measure 6. That’s fine. In fact, that makes the first step very easy. We can then isolate the error. Work on measure 6 and only measure 6. You may find the error is smaller than the measure, maybe the 2nd and 3rd notes of the measure. Work on repeating those two notes until you can’t get it wrong (I find it only takes about 5-10 repetitions on average). Then work your way outwards, until measure 6 is accurate. Finally, integrate. Slowly string together longer chunks of music by repeating this process throughout the entire piece. Add measure 7 to measure 6, then start back at measure 5 and play through 7, stopping to isolate and resolve mistakes as you find them. It is a tedious process, but the most efficient way of learning. 

Do What Works for You

Practice is an extremely individualized endeavor. Whatever works for you is the best way to practice. 

As hard as I have tried, I have never been able to keep a journal or a practice log – something I always hear as advice for creating a good practice habit. Many people find them indispensable. But I can’t do it. However, I have discovered a way that works for me. I tend to write notes directly onto my scores, making use of checkboxes, arrows, circles, drawings, colored pencils and highlighters – anything that catches my attention and reminds me of what to do next. I also try to keep my current music on my music stand or in my bag as much as possible, so I see it, which helps remind me to practice, as well. 

Some people take meticulous notes in a notebook, or use piles of sticky notes, or scribble all over their music. It might take time and experimentation to understand how you operate, but whatever it takes to get you to practice is what you should ultimately do. 

Patience

Finally, it’s important to be patient with yourself and remember that progress takes time. It’s natural to get frustrated—learning a musical instrument is just plain difficult. Be kind to yourself and realize the immense difficulty of the task you’re pursuing. It’s ok to walk away from your instrument for a little while – it will be there when you’re ready to try again. 

Practice Lab

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Riverside Guitar School had its first Practice Lab event from 3-7pm on Tuesday, December 20. Riverside staff were excited to premier this new program and offer an open-ended learning experience for students during the winter break.

Students of all ages and levels dropped in to work on their current music and learn Christmas songs. Riverside staff shared different techniques and ideas about how and what to practice, providing new perspectives to encourage our students’ continued progress. Teachers and students formed small groups to work on students’ individual goals. 

Sam worked with instructors Vincent and Jared on some Tom Petty songs out of the Joy of Guitar 3 curriculum – they really enjoyed Free Fallin’ and Breakdown. Sam and Vincent played two separate parts while Jared sang, forming an impromptu band! Sam later shared some of his original guitar compositions. The three discussed how to balance repetition and novelty while writing music.

Shelby, a Joy of Guitar 1 student, worked with Brett on learning Jingle Bells. There are some quick chord changes that give many students trouble, but after slowing down and transitioning between two chords at a time, Shelby rocked it!

Of course, there was a mandatory hot cocoa break, giving everyone’s minds and fingertips a rest before returning to practice.  

Dean and Audrey worked with Nash, Xander, and Dave, who all take private lessons at Riverside. They discussed how bass guitars can complement guitar chords and worked on creating a cohesive sound. They applied this knowledge while playing through Frosty the Snowman, ending the session with a full run of the piece.

Staff and students had a great time at the Practice Lab and look forward to enjoying more in the future!

-Vincent Frank