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Expanding My Musical Horizons

By Shira | Nov 24, 08 02:41 PM

I've been playing guitar for twenty years. I started taking lessons at the Jewish Community Center across the street from my school in the third grade, after tap class. This guy named Tom taught me how to read music and play classical tunes. Later, I learned a bunch of Flamenco pieces. But really, I've always wanted to be in a band.

I was born in Portland, Oregon and even though we moved to Maryland when I was two, we have strong ties to the Feuer family, who have lived there for decades. Throughout my childhood, we visited them every few years, usually for Passover, when they host a seder with upwards of fifty people. The Feuers know how to have a good time, and a big part of that is music. Everybody plays something, or multiple instruments. Yoav plays the trumpet and can sing like Louis Armstrong. Avi plays guitar and taught me how to play folk music - the first non-classical song I learned to play was Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" and it was Avi who showed me how to strum. Kimi's son Asher is a year younger than me and he can play a bunch of stuff, including the didgeridoo! In my nostalgic memories, every night at the Feuers was one extended jam session, with the players dropping in and out, spirited singing, and toddlers banging on drums.

Now that I'm a more seasoned musician with a bunch of songs and performances under my belt, what I'm still longing for is the jam. I want a community of people who I can get together with and make music. And I think I'm finding it here in Ithaca! The musical culture in these parts is really strong. When the weather is warm, it's not uncommon to see a person walking down the street playing the banjo, or stumble upon a drum circle in one of the parks.

And I'm jumping in. I haven't done an open mic yet, but I'm going to be performing on December 19th with my "hat band." I went to this party last week where a bunch of folks got together and put their names in a hat. Bands were picked at random and each group is going to perform as part of a group show. The catch is, we're supposed to play an instrument that we're not proficient in. I just got a mandolin a few weeks ago, so I think I'm going to play that! Wish me luck and stay tuned for details...

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