Community Music School hosts jam sessions

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Sounds of folk melodies radiated through the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities lobby in Snyder Hall on Tuesday night as passers-by applauded a circle of musicians, each contributing to the tunes with their own instrument.

MSU’s Community Music School and RCAH joined together to provide music lessons in Snyder-Phillips Hall for beginning and advanced musicians wishing to learn a variety of instruments ranging from the guitar and fiddle to the banjo and mandolin.

The six different group lessons have met every Tuesday night since Sept. 8 in the music rooms in the basement of Snyder-Phillips Hall.

“The idea for it started about eight months ago in late fall,” said Chris Scales, an assistant professor at RCAH and guitar teacher. “Some people from the CMS who currently taught folk music lessons there wanted a way to reach the MSU campus because it’s hard for students to get to CMS. So I connected them with the RCAH.”

The guitar classes are over-enrolled, Scales said, and there are ukulele, banjo, fiddle and mandolin classes. Beginning group lessons begin at 6:30 p.m. and the advanced lessons begin at 8:30 p.m., each class lasting an hour.

“It’s really laid back,” said John Lineberry, an intermediate guitar student and DeWitt resident. “It’s a nice small group, there is about seven or eight of us. It’s fun and interesting, I’ve learned some finger-style strumming.”

The key part of the whole program, however, is the jam session that begins at 7:30 p.m. in the RCAH lobby, Scales said.

“Anyone can join (the jam session) after or before their classes,” Scales said. “It’s good for beginners to join the sessions and play with intermediate students. It’s hard for beginning musicians to find people to play with, so it gives them the chance to blend in with more experienced members and play their music right away.”

The jam is open to the public, and is a helpful experience to new learners, CMS instructor Sarah Tyriver said.

“The way that we’re doing it where they’re forced into playing is like swimming,” Tyriver said. “You go to the jam and you pick it up and you play. You can’t wait until you know the song, you can’t wait until you know the song perfectly. You’re going to make mistakes, but they play over and over again. It helps that everyone is in the same boat.”

The jam session also is a good way to learn a new technique and form of playing an instrument you’re familiar with too, RCAH sophomore Meredith Brown said.

“I’ve always played classical violin,” she said. “When I heard they were going to have this class, it was my goal to sign up and learn how to fiddle, learn old-time fiddling. It’s been a passion of mine and this allowed me to become a lot better at it.”

Some who weren’t a part of the classes said they still learned and improved from the jam session.

“I’m not a music student or anything but I’ve always enjoyed playing music,” Lansing resident Teresa Dunn said. “I’ve learned a lot of new songs here, some of the songs they play I learned down in Texas.”

The first session of folk lessons and jams end Nov. 10. The second 10-week session starts next year Feb. 2.

“It’s really nice to be with people other than students,” Brown said. “To hang out with them and have fun. The Community Music School is a great place so it’s cool that we’re beginning to merge. There’s a lot of great opportunities that could be had there.”

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