Playing music for other people is one of the most special and rewarding things we can do as musicians. But for so many of us, performing for an audience can seem daunting and unreachable, which can keep us from even trying. In our Performing 101 Workshop, we will demystify the art of performing and develop comfort with this incredible skill so that we can feel confident sharing our music with others. Learn more here

 

We are so grateful to have the space and opportunity to host guitar classes and workshops in our new home, The Rosette. We have a few classes and workshops beginning in February! 

One of these classes being offered is Evan Taucher’s Performing 101 Workshop.

This week we had the chance to speak with Tami Rohn, a previous attendee of Evan’s Workshop.

Tami has been a musician her whole life, beginning with the piano at seven years old. She became connected with ACG in 2010 and has been participating in our community ensembles for years! Tami shared, 

“I have a hearing loss in both ears that has progressively gotten worse over time.  I’m the youngest of 4 and my siblings all play the piano.  When I was 7 years old I asked to take piano lessons, much to the surprise of my parents.  I have always loved music and 

my hearing loss has not stopped me from enjoying playing as well as listening to it.  I asked for a folk guitar when I was a teenager and taught myself to play.  One year when I was in college I had the summer off and decided to take a fun class, which was “Classical Guitar.”  That started a deep interest in learning more and I even attended my first Classical Guitar Concert soon after.  There’s something amazing in holding a guitar and not only playing and hearing the music, but feeling the deep vibrations resonate through the wood and into my body.  

I no longer have the folk guitar but at that time I had a cheap, Martin Classical Guitar that I started with.  The director (Tony Mariano is my 3rd director) was very patient with me as I had to really work on learning the guitar and learning to play with the ensemble. That particular guitar did not work well for my hearing loss and I discovered by the end of the season that I needed to upgrade, which I did.  From then the journey began with ACG and a deep desire to continue to play and master the instrument continued.”

Though Tami is musically inclined in many ways, she still had a desire to continue her growth. She shared, 

“I had been looking for ways to better myself as a musician and when Tony offered an Open Mic night in May 2022, I participated and actually played a piece, from memory, in front of an audience.  That alone did wonders for my confidence and fueled my desire to improve myself as a musician.  Evan’s first workshop was the “Technique Workshop”.  I knew that would be the perfect workshop and I quickly registered for it.  I also participated in his “Fretboard Mastery Workshop” and “Performance 101 Workshop”.  From each workshop I felt that I was learning the skills to become a better Classical Guitar musician.  Evan is very patient, thoughtful and highly encouraging.

I think that out of all of the workshops I enjoyed Performance 101 the most.  I learned a lot from Fretboard Mastery and that was the most challenging workshop for me, but Evan gave us the skills and confidence to continue practicing even after the workshop was finished.  The Performance 101 was fabulous as we each picked a piece that we learned and played for each other as if we were truly a Master Guitarist performing in a Grand Concert Hall.  That was fun, creative and I enjoyed hearing feedback not only for myself but also for my fellow workshop members. I highly recommend these workshops for anyone that wants to improve as a Classical Guitarist.”

It brings us so much joy to connect with our community and with ourselves through music. These classes are open to anyone no matter their musical background! We have beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses. Learn more about each of them here.