High school is a term with a menagerie of senses; the olfactory concoctions of perfume and motor oil, the boiler-dried air fighting against the gales of February, or the teacher-dependent light levels. But to Titans concerned with guitars, one sense is left neglected: sound.
A growing number of Titans have reconvened this academic year to coalesce into a community dedicated to the stringed instruments defining modern popular music.
“I love guitar and kids need a Guitar Club, and I was willing to do it,” science teacher and Guitar Club advisor Patrick Gillespie said on behalf of this year’s weekly jam sessions, “I’m just here to give an opportunity to whoever wants to be here. It’s good if they want to play, and they should. I feel great about it.”
A high number of returning members echoes Gillespie’s statements. While passions vary, the common interest of music stitches the quilt of personalities and interests of Guitar Club.
“My dad got [me] a guitar. That’s when I was about eight years old. I want to be in music—I’m not sure about guitar, but definitely something in music,” freshman Ethan Stein said in reference to his future prospects.
Amidst soft strums and metallic shreds, sound waves themselves are not the only thing to vary in C116; their origins do as well. Even Bassists, though not entitled to the club’s namesake, enjoy a pocket of representation.
“I’m a little bit different in the Guitar Club,” junior Gabriel Millner said, “Everyone else uses just six stringed guitars. I’m the outcast where I play bass guitar, which is just four strings.”
Millner, taking a level of initiative in the cohort, also noted past shortcomings within the group. Sonic organization—he posits—is a primary concern to be addressed in order to make the club itself more enjoyable.
“And so far, I want things to be different this year, because last year was mindless playing and strumming,” Millner said.
With change underway, the entire group receives drop-ins and newcomers with warmth and passion. Upon entering, members are greeted ecstatically by Gillespie, accompanied by jokes, tips, and even him offering members a location to store their instruments. Between the circle of newcomers trying to establish chord progressions, several articulate exclaves worked on scales and solos amidst the room.
“Guitar Club is used to show people how fun it is to learn,” Millner said, “Gillespie is sort of the ‘watcher’ of the whole thing. He just wants to show people how to play guitar. He gets inspired by legends, like Kurt Cobain or Jimi Hendrix.”
One could argue high schoolers come in as many stripes and moods as there are notes to play. Yet as far as Guitar Club is concerned, attitudes tune themselves in for a shared passion: music.
“I feel in school I’m just trying to hang out, stay close to my friends,” Stein said, “But two things [I like] about Guitar Club is that it’s open, and it’s just a nice club. It’s pretty calming to just get into a groove and just relax for a little bit. It’s a safe space.”
The Traverse City West Guitar Club, a continuation from years prior, meets weekly. In C116 on Wednesdays, between three and four after school. Direct all inquiries to Patrick Gillespie.
