May 17, 2022
Guitars 4 Vets: How Private Guitar Lessons Started a Global Movement
Interview with Guitars 4 Vets co-founder Patrick Nettesheim, conducted by the Make Music Alliance in May 2022.
How did Guitars 4 Vets begin?
This was not part of the master plan, I wanted to be a rockstar! I played music since childhood, starting on trumpet (but I was allergic to valve oil) and later moving on to guitar and piano. I have played in bands all my life, and started teaching music at age 16, and I’ve been teaching ever since. In fall 2006 I met Dan Van Buskirk, a combat veteran who always wanted to play guitar, but felt that his disability (PTSD) prevented him from connecting to music.
How did Dan find you?
I was teaching at a music store in Brookfield WI (Cream City Music) and playing in bands. Dan came to me for lessons, and we started working with my P.A.G.E. approach (Patience, Acceptance, Gratitude and Empathy), and quickly forged a strong student/teacher bond. My belief is that music when it works is a spiritual experience, and the guitar is the catalyst for positive human interaction. Music is the telekinesis of emotion; you take your thoughts and feelings, and now you can feel your feelings.
How did Guitars 4 Vets begin?
Because his guitar lessons helped him so much with his PTSD, it was Dan’s idea to go to the VA in Milwaukee, as he felt compelled to share the benefit. I was too busy, but Dan persuaded me! We went with the intention of playing for the people in spinal rehab at the VA. The store where I was teaching was owned by Joe Gallenberger, whose dad had recently died of complications from PTSD (he was a veteran of the Korean War). When Joe heard that we were going to play music at the VA, he handed me 2 guitars and said “Take these in honor of my dad, and use them to help these people”. We handed the guitars to the veterans, and started teaching! When we finished, the nurses said “you’re coming back next week”, and more and more people joined. Soon after this, we decided to form a nonprofit. I came up with the name, googled it, and nothing came up, so we went ahead and registered it and had nonprofit status within a year. Now this is a global movement
What is your primary mission with Guitars 4 Vets?
What we are doing is making the therapeutic nature of music making available for free. We provide guitars and lessons for Military Veterans, at no cost to them. Upon graduation, each Veteran is awarded a guitar, gig bag, picks, strap, tuner, stand, method book, capo and a certificate of completion. Since 2007, Guitars for Vets has provided nearly 6,000 new guitars and 60,000 lessons to our Nation’s Veterans. More than 110 chapters have been established in over 40 states, and 500 volunteers assure the mission is successful.
What is the Guitars 4 Vets approach to teaching?
The way we teach is guided by the students, we ask the student what they want to learn. Show them the concept, and then demonstrate a practical application that the student is interested in. We then encourage them to do something on their own with it. We light the way while they are searching for their path.
I see you are hosting a big event on Make Music Day, June 21st 2022; would you like to say something about that?
The 21 Guitar Salute honors the men and women that have served in the military and are now living with the challenges of Post Traumatic Stress [PTSD]. Donations collected from this event will support our brothers and sisters on their journey toward recovery by providing them with free guitars, lessons, teamwork and camaraderie.
May 12, 2022
Maker Music Festival: Celebrating a Global Community of Innovative Music Makers
Interview with Maker Music Festival co-founder Sherry Huss, conducted by the Make Music Alliance in May 2022.
How did the Maker Music Festival get started?
Maker Music Festival evolved out of Maker Faire. I was the co-founder of Maker Faire which launched in 2006, and I helped to build that from one event in the first year, to 244 events in 45 countries around the world by 2018, with the help of a grant from the Kaufman Foundation and partnerships with The Henry Ford in Detroit and the New York Hall of Science in New York City. We were invited to do a White House Maker Faire in 2014 under the Obama administration, which was a huge help, nationally and internationally.
My husband is a developer and programmer and a musician, and the president of our local Maker Space in Sonoma County. In 2018 they wanted to do a fundraiser, and were thinking of having a Maker Faire, so I suggested that they choose one component to focus on and they chose music, which is when the idea of Maker Music Festival was launched. They did a one day festival and it was just beautiful, with digital and analog components, about 10 or 12 exhibits, and hands on activities for kids. It turned out great, and we wanted to do it again in 2019 but I got too busy, so we planned to do it in 2020—and 2020 became 2020!
In early 2020 my husband and I started work on another passion project, Decameron Row, which gave us the idea to do a music festival online, with a row of buildings that house different musical projects.
Last year, working with eight curators, we launched the Maker Music Festival with 19 buildings, 200 makers and over 300 projects; we presented 20 hours of live programming over two days, ten hours per day. Those have all been posted to our YouTube channel, and it actually turned out to be really great.
What will be different about this year’s Maker Music festival?
There is actually going to be a way to search the campus by person or by project, so it will be easier to navigate and will also provide the Makers with a link to their work, which is helpful because a lot of them don’t have a web presence; this year we will probably have about 100 new Makers and many more buildings. This year, groups such as DorkBot (San Francisco Bay Area), MakeMe (France) and UMass Lowell (Waltham, MA) will occupy entire buildings. We will probably have about 6 to 8 hours of live programming.
What is the goal of this project?
The goal is to give the community a venue to show and share what they are doing. Moving forward, our work is probably going to have more of an educational focus. We are working with AnnMarie Thomas, a Maker and the winner of the 2020 Lego Prize who works at the University of St Thomas in Minneapolis, to figure out how to use the Maker Music Festival and Campus as a tool for teachers and education, creating materials to support music education, especially in elementary and middle school, as this type of education is lacking in this country compared to internationally.
Do you have plans to return to a live format in the future?
There is nothing that beats live music, for sure, and we will see how it goes. Ultimately our goal would be to have live Maker Music Festivals, and there is no reason why they can’t happen around the world. I think the good thing is that we have created a global network of music makers from around the world that can acknowledge each other’s work and be together and engage online and hopefully in person at some point.
May 6, 2022
Make Music Champions: Big Stuff aims for their music to evolve over time as they discover what is true to themselves
Big Stuff is an eight-person pop-soul band from New York City. They started as a two-person band and then added musicians to the band over time. Big Stuff was born during the pandemic, which provided a creative outlet that encouraged the production of original music. The process of creating new music includes the participation of everyone in the band. They are one big family! In this opportunity, we had the pleasure of interviewing Grace, who told us all about the band.
We would like to know a little bit about your story. How did you start making music?
Frank and I started writing together about 2 years ago, right before the pandemic. We started working on compilation albums. So, we were having other artists come into the studio and record our songs. Our original plan was to feature our songwriting with other artists. Then, when the pandemic hit, things changed. Frank and I were isolating together and we didn’t have that creative outlet in order to have other artists perform our music. So, we realized that, for the time being, we could record it ourselves and put it out there. Everybody seemed like they needed a little bit of enjoyment during that period of isolation, and we write pretty upbeat songs, so we decided to start recording our music ourselves. As the pandemic kept going, we kept writing and releasing music. We realized we were having a lot of fun being the actual performers of the music. I think that it was going to happen one way or the other that we would start performing the music, but the pandemic actually kind of took us there. The group started as just the two of us, and it’s now eight people. We are still the main songwriters, but everybody is involved in the process of bringing the songs to life. We are a pop-soul band, with a very laid-back sound. We always say we write very sad content, but we try to make it as funky as possible!
And how did you all meet?
I always make the joke that I just decided that they were part of the band. It was all kind of a gradual thing.
First, we added a bass player and a drummer. Then, we added our background singer because we had larger songs. Then, we added trumpet players, and then a keys player. So, it was like a snowball thing, where we kept having songs and would think “You know what this could use? Another person!” So, it wasn’t all at once, we kept adding more and more people over time. Big Stuff is big sound! It’s more fun for us to make music with a lot of people, and everybody is very musically inclined and has great ideas. So, the more people we add, the better the music sounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if we kept adding people to the process. Maybe even not to the group, but to the creative process.
What genres do you enjoy playing?
I think that our discography doesn’t fall into only pop songs. Because Franklyn and I started as songwriters rather than artists, I feel that our songs definitely have a few other genres in them. We love to write all different kinds of music. We write country songs all the time, although we don’t always perform them. Our music is evolving all the time as we add people, and it definitely doesn’t fall under just a genre because of our backgrounds.
How did you find out about Make Music Day?
I found out about Make Music Day through an internship. Aaron Friedman taught the class that I was a part of, and the class was actually an internship with Make Music New York. I had never heard about Make Music Day before that. Then, once we became the Big Stuff, I immediately thought of it. I knew it was going to be a great opportunity for us to be a part of this day as performers. For me, it was really fun to perform for the organization that I had once seen on the production side of things. We performed at the Seaport as a duo, the audience was amazing, and I loved seeing the other groups. Everybody was so friendly, and we got to meet all the other groups and follow each other on social media. We not only got to interact with the audience but with the other groups as well. We hung out for the day and saw everybody perform. It was a great experience for us!
What does music mean to you?
To me, music is like my community, and the band is slowly becoming my family. For me, as a songwriter, music has always been a way to express myself and connect with other people. My favorite part of songwriting is being able to take a personal experience and create it into a shared emotion, where people can listen to it, and they can think of their own experiences but connect with you and others that listen to the song. Music always comes from a personal space, but you turn it into something that is more community-based. A song is for everyone!
May 1, 2022
Make Music Champions: Sara Ontaneda transitioned from instrumental music to songwriting, and now is thriving with new original songs!
Sara Ontaneda is an Ecuadorian-American singer-songwriter from NYC. She started making music as a kid playing the piano and pursued a musical career in college. She has released a handful of albums and original songs, and her two recent singles “Hey Maria” and “Inútil” are part of a bilingual album she developed as a part of her new musical era. Last January, she released the single “Tu Recuerdo”, also an original composition.
How did you start making music?
I grew up in Miami and lived in Ecuador during my teenage years. Since getting into college I have lived in Boston. Music has been the most permanent thing in my life. I started at 7 years old with classical piano and, throughout my life, I stayed very much in that classical music world. As a teenager, I loved to write songs and record little demos, and that’s how I got interested in songwriting. Then, as I was studying at Berklee College of Music and I was learning different things such as instrumental, composition, and production, I started getting really into instrumental music. I thought I was going to write for things like advertising, film, and video games, and I even developed some projects for that. But I felt something was missing, and I realized I wanted to keep doing songwriting to go back to singing, which I had been missing. I wanted to go back to being able to express myself through my voice and lyrics, so I decided I had to begin the songwriting part of my life.
What genres do you like exploring?
Most of my music is a mix of folk, Latin, a little bit of pop, and R&B. My latest music is a little more electronic. It’s more like eighties synth-pop which is what I’m experimenting with right now.
I know you love doing songwriting, do you also like doing covers?
I do! I think it’s fun when you have a live gig and you throw a couple of covers, so there is something familiar to everyone. I usually do ‘Radiohead’ and ‘Creep’, those are my go-to’s.
Are you a full-time musician? Or do you do other stuff on the side?
It’s all pretty much related to audio and music. I do podcasts and audio editing and engineering for podcasts, apart from that I do a lot of just my music. Right now, I’m actually in school. I’m doing my masters in Songwriting and Production.
How did you find out about Make Music Day?
I believe I found out about it through Instagram. I was seeing people from my network performing at Make Music Day and it looked very cool and interesting. In 2019, I signed up for Make Music Day for the first time, in Brooklyn. I performed there and it was a really nice experience! There were people of all ages and backgrounds, and I just got a sense of community which I loved. I also performed in 2021 and had another wonderful day. There was music in every corner of the Seaport District, and I spent my whole day there for many different shows, it was the best experience!
How would you describe what music means to you?
I feel like music is like breathing to me. It’s such a necessity. It’s in our lives in so many moments and it’s such an important part of expression.
Finally, what would you say your goal in music is?
To be able to connect with people and leave them with a message and make them feel that they’re not going through anything alone. My music is very message-based and healing, and my composition process is kind of therapy for myself. You can be playing in front of a crowd where no one knows you, but for a moment you are connecting with them, and that for me is special and powerful.
April 27, 2022
Make Music City of the Week: Houston
Make Music Houston started last year, with Mayor Sylvester Turner leading the way to bring the celebration to the country’s fourth largest city, with musical events at the city’s airport, botanic garden, libraries, and parks.
Many exciting events are already planned for this year’s second Make Music Houston, from a series of performances at City Hall, to a symphonic music concert of popular French movie soundtracks presented by the French Consulate, to the 17-person Nameless Sound orchestra hosted by Arts District Houston.
Of course, each and every Houston musician is invited to join – see more at the Make Music Houston website!
April 27, 2022
Make Music Partner of the Week: Makey Makey
“Making music from flowerpots? You’ve got to be kidding. What’s next, making music from bananas?”
Indeed.
This year Make Music Day will partner with Makey Makey, an invention kit that turns everyday objects (such as bananas) into touchpads, which can them be used to make music. Makey Makey will supply kits to dozens of Make Music Day chapters and work with them to devise new, fun ways to musically “play” the world.
Thank you, Makey Makey!
April 27, 2022
Flowerpot Music Returns
Music on June 21 can come from anyone, anywhere, and just about anything.
As if to prove the point, celebrated composer Elliot Cole and percussionist Peter Ferry are again organizing a series of music especially for Make Music Day, featuring an unlikely but beautiful percussion instrument – the flowerpot!
Last Make Music Day, forty-five groups around the world learned and perform Flowerpot Music. This year, parks, fields, and plazas will once again ring out with these easy-to-learn musical games. Anyone can join the events and make a great sound on a flowerpot – no experience required.
Interested in leading a performance in your community? Email catherine@makemusicday.org.
April 27, 2022
Announcing Make Music Champions
We’re excited to announce our 2022 roster of Make Music Champions – thirteen talented artists from around the country who joined Make Music Day last year, and who love to share their passion for music all year long.
This month, you’ll find interviews with each Champion on our blog and social media accounts. Stay tuned for news about their June 21st collaborations!
April 27, 2022
Make Music Champions: Daena Rogers transmits a genuine and honest message through her music to reach people’s hearts
Daena is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. She started experimenting with music at a very young age, and then discovered her passion for it and pursued a music career. Currently, she is working on exploring her music and creating original songs. She recently released a new single called Just the Girl. Her ultimate goal in music is to connect with people through music that is honest and genuine.
How did you start making music?
I’ve played the piano since I was a little kid, and around 14 I started writing songs and playing the guitar. With writing songs, I got serious about music. So, I went to college in Nashville and pursued a music career, where I finally discovered that I have a strong passion for music and that I want to do music for the rest of my life.
What genres do you play?
I always have a hard time labeling my genre. I think it’s because I have so many different influences from so many artists and because I want to keep it open to explore, and just do what I’m excited about. I have so many influences from different things! Some of my favorite songwriters are the classics, such as Carole King, and I’m strongly influenced by them songwriting-wise. Then, a lot of pop artists such as Conan Grey and Maggie Rogers also have a big influence on my music. So, it’s kind of all over the map. I take influences from everywhere and just come out with this kind of blend of music.
You’re a songwriter, do you also like making covers?
Yeah, that’s actually how I started experimenting with music during high school, and that’s how I taught myself how to play the guitar. That was what interested me at the time.
How did you find out about Make Music Day?
I think it was a couple of years ago. I remember there were a lot of cool events happening nationally, and I just heard about this one through the grapevine. I just thought it was such a fun cool thing because it was happening everywhere and at the same time, and I just loved that. This year will be my first time participating in Make Music Day!
How would you describe what music means to you?
I’d say, for me, music means self-expression and exploration, because that’s how I got started in music and that’s how I’ve always viewed it. I think when you’re honest in your songwriting and your music exploration, all of that translates to the listeners and makes people relate to songs, which is my ultimate goal in music.
Lately, we’ve seen many artists making content on Tiktok to promote themselves. What do you think about Tiktok as a platform for musicians?
I recently got into Tiktok and it’s all super interesting. It’s crazy, weird, and funny to me. I think a lot of artists feel pressured to promote themselves, but for me, I’ve always loved making videos, even separately from music. In middle school, I was one of those weird kids who had a YouTube channel where I’d put whatever random video I wanted. So, for me, Tiktok is just another place where I can be creative. If my videos blow up that’s awesome, but if not that’s OK because I’m doing them just for fun. I see TikTok just as an added bonus for music promotion. I genuinely love doing videos!
Finally, what would you say is your goal in music?
My number one goal is to be a hundred percent myself, to be genuine, and to connect with people.
April 24, 2022
Make Music Champions: Glass Bandit dreams of connecting with people all over the world and raising awareness about the importance of music for happiness
Glass Bandit is a funk-rock seven-people band from Kansas City. They started five years ago being a cover band, and two years later they started writing their own music. Currently, they do mostly originals. In fact, they just released an EP two months ago.
We’ve heard you just released an EP a couple of months ago. Could you tell us a bit about the songwriting process? Does everyone get involved in it?
Yeah! We work together to develop each song. Usually, one person comes up with a base idea, but everybody always gets involved in some way during the process. It’s awesome because everyone in the group gets to add a part of themselves to our songs.
How would you describe what music means to you?
I believe music is a beautiful language. It’s an unspoken language. I think it’s very crucial in society. As we’ve seen during the pandemic with live music not being around, it’s been a mood change around the world. Without music, a lot of expression isn’t heard or seen. I think music, in general, is crucial for livelihood. (Donovan)
Music is intrinsic. I’ve seen that if a person doesn’t have to worry about bills or having to do something for a living, they will often turn to art. And, as music is one form of art, I think it’s intrinsic to being a well-rounded person. For me, music is a way of living. There is no other way to live! (Josh)
Music is really cool because it is one of the oldest professions and one of the oldest consistent things that’s been around in terms of humanity. People have always been making music, through all the different periods and civilizations. For me, music is a way of understanding people. When you start playing music with somebody and you start listening to how they play, you realize their personalities behind the instrument and behind their talking incredibly match. You can get to know a person either through talking to them or by playing music with them. The way that they play and express themselves through music is tight so close to who they are as individuals. (Ryan)
Music is so powerful. You could have nothing in common with somebody and the one thing you can connect on is music. It’s just universal. It’s something that holds relationships together. It’s something that could brighten your day or make it sadder. It’s something that will always be there, and people don’t realize how powerful it can be until it’s gone. We realized that with the pandemic, because without live music we were kind of a depressed society. Music is extremely powerful in that sense. (Allyson)
What is your main goal in music?
I think my main goal is just to travel around the world and see places that I haven’t seen. (Donovan)
I have a few goals. My main goal is to continue to play live as much as possible. What excites me most about playing music is being on stage, performing and giving it my all, feeling the amp blowing in my pants, just rocking out, that’s honestly what I live for. (Josh)
My goal has been for a while to use music to express positivity and happiness through music and teaching. I enjoy teaching music and one of the things that I love about it is that if an individual doesn’t grow to be a professional musician, they can still enrich their lives and have more joy in life by doing music, appreciating it, and learning how to play it. So, by writing music, performing, and teaching we can have a bigger positive impact on the world. For me, music has been the best vehicle to do that and reach a wide variety of people. (Ryan)
I’d love for Glass Bandit to be an advocate of music in schools and of understanding why the arts are so important. Everyone talks about STEM programs, and I believe we need STEAM, adding an A for Arts in there. (Allyson)
And, how was your experience at Make Music Day?
It was awesome, really cool. The Make Music Day here in Kansas City got many local artists to participate and it showcased music and why we’re doing this and why it’s really important.
Finally, just out of curiosity, how did you come up with the name of the band?
We have a couple of reasons why. One of them is we just put two names together and it sounded cool. The real answer has a story behind it… Around three years ago, we played at a show at a restaurant where we were treated absolutely awful. So, we had a band member steal one of their wine glasses, and so we became Glass Bandit.