BY DEB HEDLEY
ISSUE NO. 50 | APRIL 2023
Modern Day Musings
Happy April to everyone! This month we are celebrating International Guitar Month! April is all about the guitar and we are so excited to share more history on this dynamic instrument in this month's newsletter!
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MODERN DAY MUSIC SCHOOL
International Guitar Month was started back in 1987 by Guitar & Accessories Marketing Association and National Association of Music Merchants. It was started with the purpose to market the guitar and its related merchandise to the general public. Today, all over the world, International Guitar Month is celebrated as a time to truly appreciate the guitar. Whether you play the guitar or simply enjoy listening to the guitar, this month is for you!
International Guitar Month & MDM’s 12th Anniversary
The guitar originated in Spain early in the 16th century. The guitar originally had four strings but by the late 18th century, the guitar gained two more strings and E-A-D-G-B-E became the standard tuning. It wasn’t until around 1936 when a jazz guitarist, Charlie Christian began using an acoustic guitar with a pickup attached to the body. This began the birth of the electric guitar! By the late 1940’s, Fender Esquire released its first solid-body guitar. During the 1950’s, the electric guitar industry was booming and the new innovative instrument was being released one after another. Guitarists like Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Eddie Van Halen, and countless others have paved the way for modern guitarists around the world! How can you celebrate International Guitar Month? Make more time to play your instrument this month! You could write a song on the guitar, buy a new guitar, give an old guitar away, or buy some new guitar gear! There are so many ways to appreciate the guitar all month long!
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Not only are we celebrating the guitar this month, but we are also celebrating the 12th anniversary of Modern Day Music! On April 28th of 2011, MDM opened its doors for the first time. Since then, MDM has grown and we have watched countless students learn and grow their passion for music. To help celebrate guitar month and the anniversary of Modern Day Music, we sat down with one of our long time guitar students, Vincenzo Benedetti. Vincenzo has been a part of Modern Day Music since the start and we were so excited to get the chance to catch up with him and talk about his experiences at MDM, what it is like being the owner's son, his favorite things about MDM, and plans for the fall after graduating high school in June!
Student Spotlight -Vincenzo Benedetti How long have you been playing the guitar for? I started playing guitar in December 2016 at MDM, so about 6 years now. Before I started playing guitar I dabbled in singing and piano but guitar stuck out to me. Who inspired you to play the guitar? What type of music/artists inspires you? My parents always pushed me to play some kind of instrument and I’m really glad that I was pushed into it. Local artist Moriah Formica also made me want to stick with guitar and YouTubers such as TheDooo pushed me to want to keep trying to get to their levels. When did you start taking lessons at MDM? I started taking piano lessons at MDM in July 2011, for about 2 years when I was 5 years old. I took a break to try some sports, then took voice lessons for about 6 months in 2015, until finally switching to guitar.
Are you planning on taking any music classes in college? I don’t plan on taking music classes in college. My goal is to go to law school, and a lot needs to be completed in order to reach that goal. That being said, I haven’t looked at any classes yet and if there is a class that looks Interesting it would definitely be something I’d look into. How have friendships formed over the years through MDM? There has been multiple people in band throughout the years that I’m still in touch with now. It also has allowed me to have something to talk about with other kids in the music scene, leading to more friendships.
How long have you been a part of MDM’s Rock School 101? I’ve been a part of Rock School 101 since May 2018, about a year and half after I started to play guitar. It’s been so fun to play with such a variety of people over the years. How has being a part of the rock band for so long helped you as a musician? Due to staying with it for so long I’ve been able to play with so many different people and with that brings a huge variety of genres. It allowed me to get more comfortable with playing more types of music. It also has helped push me to practice more so that I would have my parts prepared for the next band show. Do you have plans to continue playing the guitar after graduating high school this year? I totally do, I’m staying local at least for a couple years so I would jump on the opportunity to keep taking lessons and continuing learning more. Would you consider putting a band together in college? As of right now I don’t have any plans to put a band together in college. I have a lot of work ahead of me and putting together a band is a very big commitment, but you never know!
M: Which upcoming gig(s) are you most looking forward to and why? D: I have a monthly gig called “Psykick Dancehall” the first Saturday of every month at a little bar called Pint Sized in Saratoga from 8pm-12am. It’s a lot of fun DJing a mix of Soul, Reggae and even a little early Punk and Rock n roll. I think we can all assume that David is very involved in music outside of MDM, but that is not the only thing! He is also a loving husband and father and tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife and son when he is not at MDM. David’s shared that “I can say without a doubt I would not be where I am today without their love and support!” They have supported David in innumerable ways over the recent months as he took on this new role at MDM, and they were even a part of the MDM family long before that! David’s son was a member of our Little Rockers program for a number of sessions before testing out private lessons where he caught on to everything very quickly. Even back then, David and his family were thrilled to be a part of MDM, and the experience also gave David a look at what things are like from the student perspective. Now that his son is a little bit more mature at age 7, he plans to start private piano lessons in the fall! David’s son loves playing piano in his room and we can’t wait to see where he goes in his private lessons. He also takes after his dad and started his own record collection, which he spends much of his time listening to. David is so proud, and we can tell that music definitely does run in the family! We are all so excited to have David on board, are are looking forward to many great years to come. There are so many possible directions for the future of MDM, but we know that no matter what, that direction will be up!
This month MDM is celebrating its 12th anniversary... how has being the owner's son impacted your life as a musician? What has it been like watching the business grow from the ground up? It’s really impacted my life so much. As I previously mentioned I’ve been able to use MDM as a talking point in conversation, but also I’ve been pushed into playing music and with others which has had a lasting, beneficial, impact on me. It’s been great watching the business grow, and see all the programs change and improve over the years. Seeing my Dad work with so many different people for so many years has also exposed me to a completely different side of music. What are you most grateful for at MDM? The thing I’m most grateful for at MDM is definitely the staff. It feels like a small community and everyone that works at MDM is so warm and welcoming and it creates such a nice environment. Advice to fellow guitar students? Even through hardships and challenges don’t give up. Guitar is such a fun instrument to play and it teaches so many good qualities even outside of the music scene. Thank you so much for your time, Vincenzo. Good luck with your future endeavors! You have been such a huge part of MDM. We cannot wait to see you at the next MDM Band Show on July 2nd.
David's Corner
APRIL CALENDAR
1- April Fool's Day 1- On this day, Sergei Rachmaninoff, was born in 1873 1- Under the Den (Ben Zoleski) at Spa City Tap and Barrel 10pm-2am 2- Autism Awareness Day 5- Passover 7- Good Friday 7- Ben Zoleski Solo at Nostalgia Ale House 7-10pm 8- Ben Zoleski and Gianna Robustiano at Katie O Byrnes 6-9pm 9- Easter Sunday 14- Ben Zoleski and Gianna Robustiano at Carson’s Woodside Tavern 7-10pm 15- Record Store Day 15- Under the Den (Ben Zoleski) at Unihog 16- World Voice Day 22- Earth Day 25- On this day, Ella Fitzgerald, was born in 1917 27- On this day, Ace “Space Ace” Frehley, was born in 1951 27- Under the Den (Ben Zoleski) at Pauly’s Hotel with Makes My Blood Dance 28- Under the Den (Ben Zoleski) at Putnam Place 29- On this day, Duke Ellington, was born in 1899 30- International Jazz Day
I just want to thank you all for being a part of Modern Day Music! We think of you all as family and wanted to let you know that as of next month we will be officially changing our school to a yoga studio and now be called Modern Day Meditation! Please let the office know if you would like to continue with us and we are currently offering discounts for yoga mats if you exchange in your instruments. Vocal students can exchange their voices for vows of silence. If you have any questions please reach out to the office! Thank you and namaste!
... APRIL FOOLS
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in march!
Regina T Lauren B Marco M Emjaye Q Jae S Liam T Mayla F Eloise S Arabella G Emily W Eliana P Nolan A Grayson K Sheeram W Quinn H Benjamin H Kim W Jonah F Avianna F Peter R Willow C Roy M Eric L. O Yasmine P Ysabella Marie P Cayden D Stephanie F
1673 RT9, Clifton Park, NY 12065 ~ 518-261-1920 ~ www.moderndaymusicschool.com
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