Today, Local Spins not only unveils the official poster for the May 18 festival at Studio Park, but kicks off its series exploring how area ‘schools of rock’ aim to inspire the next generation of musicians.
Toasting Young Musicians & Local Spins’ 12th Birthday: The Official Local Spins Fest Poster by Anna Sink.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Local Spins Fest is seeking volunteers to assist organizers at the May 18 festival. If you’re interested in helping out and getting free admission to the event, email annasinkarts@gmail.com. Scroll down to view the full poster and festival schedule.
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Space exploration continues to enthrall and fascinate the public as an emblem of innovation and what the future may hold.
So, with the May 18 Local Spins Fest at Grand Rapids’ Studio Park showcasing inventive, up-and-coming West Michigan artists as well as teen bands under the banner, “The Future of Michigan Music,” the image of a rocket ship seems an ideal way to represent the event — especially when integrated with the iconic “Flying V” electric guitar.
The poster designed by Local Spins artist and photographer Anna Sink — officially revealed today — will be available for sale at the May 18 festival at the Studio Park piazza, with attendees who purchase VIP seating for the event automatically receiving a commemorative poster and a pair of Local Spins sunglasses. Details and tickets at themidtowngr.com here.
The third annual downtown festival which celebrates Local Spins’ 12th anniversary aims to spotlight three, fast-emerging, diverse regional bands — Nathan Walton & The Remedy, The Elijah Russ Collective and Short Panic — along with sets by two teen bands spawned by area music academies and schools of rock: Ocean Boosamra & The Hand Me Downs and Hangman.
(Local Spins Fest is sponsored by Daniel Terry, Firehouse Guitars, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Elderly Instruments, Rhoades McKee and Studio Park/Midtown.)
Hangman – featuring Aaron Ruffer, 15, Eliot Redwine, 16, Will Selleck, 15, and Mary Maddox, 14 — is a product of Cascade Township’s Red Rose Music Lab. So, Local Spins asked Branden Garner, Red Rose’s co-leader and multi-disciplinary music teacher, to comment on the importance of education and supporting young musicians — the first in a series of features on area music instruction programs.
Local Spins: What’s the single most satisfying thing about educating and tutoring the next generation of musicians?
Garner: I think that the most satisfying part of teaching the next generation of musicians is finding that one thing that unlocks their interest in music. Could be a song, an artist, a genre. It could be an instrument, a concept or a technique. Could be shredding, or modular synthesis or songwriting. Whatever it is, finding the thing that sparks that insatiable curiosity is the most satisfying part of what I do. If I do that, I know I have helped someone become a lifelong musician.
Branden Garner (Photo/Local Spins)
Local Spins: What’s the most important lesson that young musicians need to learn?
Garner: Every wrong note is just one step closer to the right one. Kids are under so much pressure to be perfect in school, perfect on the field or court, and perfect at home. It translates to a strong aversion to making mistakes and internalizing bad feelings that come with making mistakes while learning something new. I make a point of teaching my students how to make mistakes correctly, how to learn from them, and how to keep cool as a cucumber the whole time.
Local Spins: How can parents — and the community at large — best support young and enthusiastic musicians?
Garner: The number one thing I can think of for parents to do to support their enthusiastic musicians is give them the freedom to explore. Sometimes folks become so focused on becoming the best guitar player or drummer they can be that they forget to become the best musicians they can be. I love using sequencers to teach young drummers how to read music. Or use recording their own music as a means of keeping students motivated to practice. These things may seem like distractions, but they are investments in becoming a consummate musician rather than just a player. As a community, we need to provide these students with low-cost, high-quality all-ages live music experiences so they can immerse themselves in new music. We also need to provide them with opportunities to perform on local stages with local and national acts in a meaningful and widespread way. Showing kids that they are part of our musical community is so important. You can see the light turn on when they are empowered to see themselves as valued and contributing members of our musical community. That is why we are so excited to be a part of Local Spins Fest.
Local Spins: What’s your impression of West Michigan’s talent pool when it comes to music?
Garner: I don’t think there is something in the water or anything, but there is something cool going on here. The difference I see in West Michigan starts with the level of enthusiasm for local and independent music in our community, which fuels parents’ willingness to invest in music education for their kids, which has resulted in a large pool of highly talented and highly motivated musicians. It is an amazing feedback loop.
Local Spins: What’s the most popular instrument among young musicians and what not-so-popular instruments should young students consider?
Garner: I think that the most popular instrument among kids is the guitar for sure. It cuts across so many genres and is so versatile. You get everyone from Van Halen devotees to Swifties and everyone in between. The ‘not-so-popular’ instrument I think students need to consider is piano. Sorry, kids, your mom is right. Beyond the usual ‘it teaches you how to read notes and rhythm and gives you a solid musical foundation,’ so much of modern music production is digital, and the most common way to interface with a digital instrument is a midi keyboard. Students that have a solid understanding of piano are so comfortable with the keyboard interface that it does not get in the way of their creativity.
ABOUT BRANDEN GARNER: Branden Garner is a musician, music educator and audio engineer. He lives in Grand Rapids with his partner, Katherine. After studying piano at home and playing in the band through high school, he played mandolin in the Irish punk band The Waxies for 10 years, and guitar in the funk-soul act Stone Soup & The Broken Teeth. He has recorded albums for Nathan Walton, Kyle Brown & The Human Condition, Cabildo, Stone Soup & The Broken Teeth and Marissa Lunt. He uses his background in secondary education, along with his hard-won skills from 30 years of playing music, to help kids explore everything related to music and music technology — helping them build skills they need to thrive on stage and in life.
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