School of Rock

SO MANY OF US HAVE BEEN THERE

A childhood passion or teenage infatuation with music offers a tantalizing glimpse of a glamorous future based around playing with like-minded musos on stages big and small, near and far - and then life gets in the way. Or, in an equally common scenario, a love of music stalls in the bedroom because there just are no like-minded musos around. If only there was a way to connect, to reignite the spark, to take things to the next level.

Well, now there is. Whanganui’s Black Sand Music Retreats is the brainchild of professional musicians Tim Booth and James Paul, who have been playing in bands together or apart since they were 14. They now have 20 years of experience on stage and in the music industry, and regularly teach across Whanganui and Rangitikei. Both are local Whanganui boys whose careers took them to Wellington and beyond, but after getting back to their roots and their hometown in 2021 they felt that something was missing, a something they felt they could supply.

“There are so many musicians out there who are learning and playing, but just by themselves, in their bedrooms or garages,” says James. “And really, one of the greatest things about music is playing with other people, learning from other people, and being around other musicians. It’s infectious, and tuition opportunities for hobbyist musicians are well overdue for a reboot. To date, music tutors have placed too much emphasis on developing individual skill-sets at the expense of teaching students to form a groove in a band.”

“We’ve been mentored by some of the best musicians around, both nationally and internationally, and really wanted to share these musical experiences with others. We’d always wanted to open a music school, because there is nothing more satisfying than bringing people together to make music, and once we were back in Whanganui, we felt the time was right.”

Both are local Whanganui boys whose careers took them to Wellington and beyond

The weekend retreats bring together small groups of musicians - usually guitar, bass, and keyboards, with drumming supplied as the anchor, but horns and strings have also featured. The retreats are held upstairs in the grand old iconic Whanganui Chronicle building, but we won’t lower ourselves to any Stairway to Heaven reference and instead we’ll skip to the more important facts that the retreats are based around one-on-one lessons, songwriting tutorials, band coaching, and finally – the best bit – playing together as a band and recording a track.

“We have people from all levels,” James says, “from beginners right up to quite advanced musicians who just want to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. And it’s really great to see how people go from being really nervous when the retreats begin to have a real buzz about them by the time we start recording on the Sunday. We’ve had people who write their own music and working their songs up as a band really puts a smile on everyone’s faces.”

“I think what people get out of it is kind of two or three-fold,” James says. “There are the learnings you get from the one-to-one sessions, but you also learn so much from playing with others, and then there is the injection of motivation this gives you, whether to go away and practice more and with more direction, or to start working in a different way. We often see people coming back a few months later to get that motivational hit again, and that is really rewarding for us.”

“Many people think they are not at a high enough level, but the retreats are for all levels – and there really is no better way of advancing than by playing with others. We’ve had guitarists who only know a couple of chords working together with people who have been playing for ten years but it still works – that exists in many really successful bands, and it brings a certain dynamic.”

“It’s a brave thing for most people to sign up for. Everyone is a bundle of nerves - and we get that. People think that they are not good enough, but you come here to learn and enjoy the experience of playing together – so we kind of try to emphasize that people shouldn’t wait till they have mastered the instrument before going on a retreat: the retreat is part of the journey to getting where you want to be.”

So go on - be brave and sign up for a Black Sands Music Retreat! It’s a great way to get your groove back on - and a wonderful excuse to spend some time in the wonderful city of Whanganui while you’re at it.