As the 2019 school year is coming to a midpoint at Oliver Ames, new extracurricular activities are being added to the school’s agenda. One of the newest clubs is the Guitar Club, an inviting group of string instrument enthusiasts who have the drive to share their plucking and strumming with each other. At the club, you can bring your own guitar and display your talent, new a new technique, or share a piece of advice on guitar ownership. This past Monday, the talking point was pickups and guitar electronics followed by the weekly demonstration of musical talent.
“You can move or change anything about the guitar,” said Mr. O’Connell, the clubs adviser, “If you want to change the body, you can change the body. Don’t like the color of the bridge or neck? Change it out!”
The club is built around the shared experience of owning and playing guitars. Mr. O’Connell has been a professional musician for 47 years and has studied composition at Burklee college of music in Boston.
“We like to have all ranges of people, from experienced players to beginners. We learn how to play a guitar, how to choose a guitar, and we emphasize having fun while playing together.”
The club has already attracted eight members of diverse backgrounds, from professional players who are band members to people who simply want to spend more time learning how to grow their passion. The members share experiences about hen guitars have broken and what to do in order to fix them as well as how to quickly move down an octave so that performing becomes easier.
Connor Dolan, A senior at Oliver Ames and lead singer in the band Defret, is a guitar enthusiast who has been playing for the past six years. His first full length album, Metamorphose, came out in 2018 and is available online. He also performs with his band at various concerts and functions.
“Being in the guitar club allows me to discuss with Mr. O’Connell my pursuit of being a professional musician, but it also allows me to share my experiences playing with those who don’t have as much practice as I do. I also think the club has such a varying level of skill and gives a lot of different perspectives on how to view music.”
The guitar Club has a routine of concluding on a circle of playing, where each member playing something that they have been practicing or have created as an original piece. There are no limitations on how long to play, no level of complexity required; a simple cord would be good enough to share.
“I joined right when it started”, said Samuel Pedroza, a student at Oliver Ames. “I’ve been going to the bi-weekly meetings. I don’t have my guitar with me all the time, but it’s nice to see what other people are doing and socialize a bit.”
The Guitar Club is always looking for new members and does not discourage against the level of experience you might have. If you are interested in joining, see Mr. O’Connell in room 117 for more information. The next meeting for the club is Tuesday, December 18th.