SMMC is SO proud to be able to present this month’s award to Christian R. who has been taking guitar lessons at SMMC since 2018 and voice since 2022. Christian picked up the guitar on his own but was never formally trained. He thought about taking lessons for a few years before he decided to take the plunge. The result is a pastime then became a passion! Since starting lessons, Christian has now purchased more guitars, amplifiers, and effects pedals to fuel his playing passion. In addition, Christian now writes his own music as well. If that is not enough, Christian is the lead singer for SMMC’s adult Rock Band group and has performed numerous times with the band and as a soloist at SMMC events and recitals.
The dedication to consistently attending lessons and steady improvement is truly remarkable. No one at SMMC saw this coming when Christian first became a student, but we are all certainly glad he “took the leap”! This month, we celebrate Christian and all his musical achievements!
Over the years, San Marino Music Center has tutored many adult students in a variety of instruments. This includes voice, guitar, piano, trumpet, violin, saxophone, drums-basically every instrument we’ve ever offered! People are often surprised to find out that SMMC boasts a large number of grown-ups who take private music lessons. With the busy lives we all lead with work and family, it’s natural to think “I don’t have time to learn an instrument“. However, this line of thinking misses the point entirely. Learning an instrument as an adult is a very fulfilling experience that brings “fun” into a busy life. It’s important to do activities for ourselves that keep our hearts and mind engaged.
Finding time to practice is the one challenge a lot of adult students experience at first. But eventually, each one has figured out a time of the day that works for them. Eventually, they figure out how much time they need in order to make progress. Often enough, you don’t need hours a day. That’s right! You can learn an instrument and become proficient with just 15-20 minutes daily! On top of that, the benefits of learning an instrument as an adult are to numerous to list, but here is a quick list anyway:
- Learning to play an instrument is great exercise for the brain.
- Music helps ease pain and anxiety in patients recovering from surgery.
- Music can help persons recover from undergoing health treatments.
- Just listening to music can improve one’s physical, mental and emotional health.
In His Teachers Words
Christian studies guitar with Mr. Jason Golday and voice with Mr. Matthew Aldrich. Of Christian, Mr. Jason writes “The breadth of Christian’s guitar concept has grown tenfold since we began studying together. He is diligent about practice and just showing up for lessons and performances. This dedication and work ethic have yielded significant results in his knowledge of the fretboard, technique, composition, ear training, tone and confidence as a performer. He has come to the point of being able to teach himself the extensions of what we’ve done together, enabling our lesson time to delve into more advanced and challenging material. If there was a student of the decade award, Christian would be the one to get it.”
Christian’s voice instructor Matthew Aldrich adds explains “What has impressed me the most about working with Christian: Christian has the most important talent, in my opinion, a musician can have: insatiable desire. He just can’t seem to get enough of it! Despite his very busy life teaching fifth grade full- time and having a family, he invariably comes to lessons prepared, having completed the assignments from the last lesson and ready to work. This has resulted in his continual improvement as a vocalist and musician during our time working together.”
That is high praise from two instructors with years of experience. Awesome work Christian!
Christian Performing
As mentioned before, Christian is often performing live on his own or with SMMC’s adult Rock Band. Here is a video from one of the groups performances back in December 2024. Rock On Christian!
In His Own Words
Time for the “Question and Answer” portion of our Student of the Month blog! We sent Christian a set of questions to get more insight into what makes the man behind the musician and here is what he had to say:
1. How long have you been playing your instrument and what do you like most about playing it?
“I started playing guitar when I was 18 years old. Playing my favorite songs and creating my own songs brings me joy and satisfaction. I started taking voice lessons about 2 1/2 years ago. The thing I like most about voice is I am now able to play guitar and sing. I can be my own accompaniment. And, doing both is challenging which makes it fun for me.“
2. How did you get started playing guitar and why did you decide to take lessons?
“U2’s the Edge was the reason I started playing guitar. I wanted to play and create sounds like he does. I decided to take lessons because I was not getting anywhere with my infrequent, unfocused noodling. My goal has always been to perform live. I knew I couldn’t do that on my own.“
3. How do you make time to practice in your busy schedule?
“Since I have a full time job as a teacher and a few side jobs, I tend to fit in practice in 5 – 10 minute chunks during the week and longer sessions on the weekend when I have more time.“
4. If any, who are some of the artists you look up to for your instrument and why do you like them?
“As I stated before, U2’s the Edge, Robert Smith of The Cure, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Frank Black of the Pixies, Colin Hay, James Taylor, Tom Petty, and Paul Westerberg for lead and rhythm guitar. I like them because they are all unique in their signature style of playing. For voice, I gravitate toward Bono of U2, James Taylor, Johnny Cash, and Chris Cornell because they are baritones like me and they also have their own signature style of singing.“
5. What are your musical goals for the next year?
“My goals: 1. To write more original songs to perform, 2. To perform cover songs with voice and guitar w/ picking, and 3. to learn more about songwriting both for voice and guitar – writing melodies.”
6. Besides music, what do you like to do in your down time?
“I love to travel. There are still several destinations I haven’t reached yet.“
Awesome and inspiring! Those are some heavyweight musicians in your list and an extensive one at that. With that many great guitar players, singers and artists to look up to, we suspect Christian will NOT be running out of any inspiration anytime soon.
Start Your Journey
If you are ready to start on your musical journey (or pick up where you left off), our wonderful teachers are eager to work with you. SMMC teachers are degreed educators with years of experience. Whether you are a beginner, have not played for years, or looking to make the jump to intermediate or advance level, our teachers have the tools to help you achieve your ambition! Book a trial lesson today!