We’ve gotten some questions about the name of our new music school- Tune Up and Jam ATX. For almost 18 years, we’ve operated our family music school as Wilson School of Strings. During the last 5 years of teaching online and out of various facilities, we’ve had some time to ponder and distill our musical ideas a bit more. Both Andrew and I grew up playing music with our siblings, and made any friends we had from the musical world. We learned, truly, from jamming. Sitting in circles, always with players more advanced than we- sometimes just watching, but most often playing along, trying to follow chord shapes and progressions through bluegrass, cowboy or jazz tunes- often complex chord progressions that became clear on the 5th time through the tune, as we watched the guitar player closely and copied them as quick as we could. To this day, we both know there is no better way to learn. We’ve watched our own kids learn the same way-immersed in music from their birth, it’s easy for them to hear changes and recall hooks, melodies and improvise over chord progressions.
When our students take a new concept and immediately apply it, whether to a different tune at home or while playing with others- they grow exponentially more quickly as musicians than those who only attend a weekly lesson and practice 1 song a week. Our philosophy as teachers is evolving to go along with that. We can probably teach you 1000 songs- but how much more will those songs stick in your soul if you understand them musically and work them out organically- from a simple version to an embellished version, all your own, using foundational concepts of music and your instrument. Andrew often says that he isn’t here to create musical clones of himself- versatility and originality is all part of the musical adventure, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Look up any fiddle or Americana style tune on YouTube and you’ll find hundreds of variations- unlike the classical composers, string music is begging to be changed and personalized by each musician who makes the tune their own.
For some teachers, the goal is to create students who follow the rules, play with precision and win competitions or who at least reflect glory back on their teacher. Our role is different. Our mission is to teach as many people as possible that music is for your enjoyment-and it’s for you! You don’t have to be a professional or play without mistakes to “arrive” at your destination. But you should enjoy the trip that music takes you on- the rabbit trails you may go down, the efforts you put in to make a tune your own, the other people you sit in circles with and the music you create together.
At Tune Up and Jam ATX, you may not learn how to “win” at a musical contest- we don’t actually believe that is the right way to think of music at all! You play music to improve your mind, your mental health, to expand your brain and to feel the perfect joy that only a song can give. And if you do it right- that is, just keep doing it!-you get to do it for the rest of your life. Because there is no shelf life to playing songs, and the older you get, the more fun it is!
So, to that end, we don’t keep you in a class or lesson endlessly struggling through new songs. We give you a “tune up” and then send you into the “jam”, because that’s where the magic happens!