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museum of making music

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2014

director’s note

Welcome As I write this message, there’s quite a battle going on outside our Museum and in our region. Fires are raging, thousands of people are being evacuated, and many homes and structures have already been lost to the flames. At some point though, the fires will be put out, and we will begin the recovery process. It’s at a time like this that we try to understand exactly what the role of the Museum can and should play in this process.

We know the Museum serves many different audiences: some come for the educational exhibitions, some for the hands-on interactive activities, some for the concerts and musical inspiration… Here at the Museum of Making Music, we also believe it’s our role and responsibility to provide the community with a place and an opportunity to celebrate the joy of making music and its power to help us heal. At a difficult time like this, we hope the Museum can serve as a place of comfort, affirmation and joy— all so essential to renewal and recovery.

We also want to join in the many voices that have thanked the incredible firefighters and safety personnel that have responded with overwhelming courage and effort. When the smoke clears, and it will, we invite you to come with your families to visit us. No admission fee… it seems the least we can do to say “thanks.”

Well, as you can imagine, this wasn’t exactly what I had planned to write about here…but in the space left, let me get back to my original intentions. As we hope you know, this is the second issue of our new Notes newsletter. We also hope you enjoyed the inaugural issue in which we highlighted the Museum’s most recent exhibition, The Banjo: A

New Day for an Old Instrument, on display in the Special Exhibition Gallery through October 31, 2014. Don’t miss this wonderful exhibition at the Museum and the revealing interview with Tanya Ogsbury of the OME Banjo Company later in this issue.

In this second issue of Notes, we’re focusing on the theme of learning an instrument later in life, by showcasing three of the Museum’s music-making programs for adult amateur musicians: the band, the jazz ensemble and the string orchestra. These programs, in full swing for quite a few years now, fill a unique niche within our communities, truly enhancing and changing the lives of the participants. We hope their success will serve as an inspiration for all adults who wish they could play an instrument (or learn anything later in life) and as a model for replication in other communities across the nation. We are excited to share insights from the members themselves as well as from the dedicated coaches and conductors.

Finally, I hope that by this time you have already seen the Museum’s new membership brochure. (If not, make sure to call us to request one.) We are very excited by its fresh look, new messaging and, most of all, by its improved member opportunities. The new structure allows you to compose the membership that best fits your interests and lifestyle.

We look forward to connecting with each of you here at the Museum—at a concert, in the galleries, or in one of our programs. And, as always, if you have any questions or comments, just give us a call! c a r o ly n g r a n t , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r

Here at the Museum of Making Music, we believe it’s our role and responsibility to provide the community with a place and an opportunity to celebrate the joy of making music and its power to help us heal.

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special events

The 2014 Summer Gala: Sold Out! Tickets for the August 16th “Play It Forward” Gala are sold out! That’s very exciting news for the Museum… and important news as well, because the summer Gala is one of our primary fundraising vehicles. Each year, the Museum provides access to music making through a variety of educational outreach programs for thousands of adults, seniors, students, and children from a variety of economic and cultural backgrounds. And those programs need funding.

For those of you who are coming to the Gala, expect delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks, a fabulous concert by the legendary blues and slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, spirited silent and live auctions (where we hope to generate addi-

tional funds for those outreach programs)—in other words, expect a wonderful evening! For those of you who were not able to get tickets this year, please stay tuned for the announcement of another outstanding event around this same time in 2015.

A fundraising event like this would not be possible, though, without tremendous support from a host of community donors that responded to our development officer, Alisa Arkinzadeh, and her committee of amazing volunteers. If you know these companies—whether you shop or eat there or do business with them—let them know you appreciate their support of the Museum and its programs. We certainly do.

We want to send a special “thank you” to all our generous Gala supporters (as of publication time): David Alan Collection John Afshari Alfred Music Publishing AMF Bowling Birch Aquarium Bellefleur Restaurant The Blue Guitar Buffalo Brothers Guitars Bull Taco Burger Lounge Carlsbad Fire Department Carlsbad Premium Outlets Casa de Bandini Cobra Puma Golf Cordoba Guitars Daisy Rock Guitars Davies Eye Center Deering Banjo Company Elephant Walk Outdoor Footwear Erin Fader Jewelry Flippin’ Pizza Flowers Forever Anne Geiler Graced By Grit Grape Connections H20dyssey Happy Pantry Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront 3

Interactive Healing Stan Lawrence Portrait Art Legoland California Lions, Tigers & Bears Mackenzie Landscape Mahogany Mountain Winery Menchies Frozen Yogurt San Diego Natural History Museum New Children’s Museum North Coast Repertory Theatre Oceanside Museum of Art Oh Yeah! Jewelry O’Sullivans Irish Pub Pamo Valley Winery Papike People The Pearl Petals on the Point Pixar Plant-Tek, Inc. Prager Brothers Artisan Breads Sandy Radom Photography Ramona Ranch Winery Ramona Valley Vineyard Association Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

Rollswisserie San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association San Diego Chargers San Diego Padres San Diego Symphony Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa South Coast Orchids South Coast Winery Ellen Stacy’s Showcase Stone Brewing Company

Sonny Landreth

Vigilucci’s Restaurant Group TakeLessons.com Total Woman Gym Tricia Reeves Pet Services USS Midway Museum West Inn & Suites June Western Holistic Health Practitioner Xcentric Salon Zanniki Art ZUZA Printing

exhibition programs

Taking (What) Matters into Their Own Hands Think museums are just about looking at objects in exhibitions?

Then you haven’t been to the Museum of Making Music lately, where much of our permanent exhibition (the history of pivotal musical instruments and products from 1900 to today) is interactive and hands-on, inviting our visitors’ participation. So too with one of our major programming initiatives where we offer three opportunities for adults to participate actively in the music-making process: the North Coastal New Horizons Band, the Jazz Ensemble and the North Coast Strings.

The participants—about 130 currently—have varied backgrounds. Some have played their instrument for less than two years, while others are picking up their instrument after a 25-, 35- or even 50-year hiatus. Many have never played in a group environment. One member emphasizes, "I have never even played with another individual, let alone a group." Some played in their high school band or orchestra, but notice that these adult groups have more passion, more skill (sometimes), and definitely more fun.

The band, ensemble and orchestra programs are designed for adults of any age that either missed the opportunity to learn a musical instrument in their earlier years, or that want to pick up an instrument again after a hiatus of some length. There is no audition required to join these groups, and the atmosphere is intentionally non-competitive. The only requirements are a desire to learn, a willingness to try and a healthy sense of humor. As one participant puts it, these programs "enable us to reawaken our passion for music in a non-threatening, forgiving and welcoming environment."

People have many different reasons for joining the program.

Some want to challenge themselves, to learn something new, and, as one participant put it, “just see if I could do it.” Some want to reconnect with the experience of making music: “I joined the orchestra to feel the dance between instrument sections again.” Others want to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing an instrument: “I’m a musician at heart and always wanted to play an instrument and learn the language of music.” Some have specific goals of becoming accomplished musicians, of joining a community band or orchestra or of doing some gigs

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“It fills a void I didn’t know was there.

I can’t imagine my life without music now.

It’s the favorite part of my day.” in a small ensemble. And some simply want to continue—to learn, to play, to increase skills, and to enjoy the process as well as the outcome.

Allison Hargis Conductor, North Coastal New Horizons Band

and Jazz Ensemble

Paula Simmons Conductor, North Coast Strings

You get the idea… people join for all sorts of reasons, but whatever that reason might be, they feel that the weekly experience of playing music in a group setting enriches their lives.

We think so too.

Greg Lawrence Violin 1 Coach

We can’t end this article, though, without introducing our great conductors and coaches that teach, encourage and inspire the participants. They are truly the key to the success of these programs. These professional musicians have dedicated their lives to learning the art of music, and are now passing it along.

What a gift. (And you’ll hear more about them and their stories in a future issue of Notes.)

Gordon Grubbs Cello Coach

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Victoria Eicher Violin 2 Coach Jennifer Albrent Viola Coach Bertram Turetzky Bass Coach If you are inspired (and we hope you are), please join one of our summer or fall programs. Visit www.museumofmakingmusic.org/education/adults for more information and to register.

in their own words

Talking Banjos

A Conversation between Tanya Ogsbury and Carolyn Grant

Background: In 1960 after graduating from college (civil engineering), Charles Ogsbury started building banjos in his parents’ garage in Boulder, Colorado. He made 100 longneck banjos with cast aluminum rims that sold rapidly, and so Charles quickly built more, expanding the line to include bluegrass, guitar and jazz banjos. In 1966, he sold the company, then known as Ode Banjos, to Baldwin Pianos. When a 5-year, non-compete period with Baldwin ended in 1971, Ogsbury started a second company, Ome Banjos. Today, Ome Banjos, still located in Boulder, consists of Charles, his daughter Tanya, and three builders. Producing an average of 160 banjos per year, Ome is big enough to be called a production company (they don’t make one-offs), but still small enough to maintain its flexibility and offer a wide selection of hand-made banjos to a network of dealers all over the United States and the world.

Last year was a rough year for the company. After two consecutive nights of six inches of rainfall, they suffered a flood which shut down operations for two months. During that time they did nothing but clean up the mud (which when dry and inhaled, could be toxic). They also lost one of their longtime builders. He has since been replaced, but it will take at least a year before the new builder will be up to minimum speed, and years before he will be able to do the work that Rich Sharples (with the company since 1989) and Gustavo Silva (since 1993) can do.

As part of the Museum’s six-month banjo exhibition and exploration project, I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Tanya Ogsbury, with the company for 17 years.

Carolyn Grant: What kind of life does the world of banjo-making give you?

Tanya Ogsbury: We’re a very small company, and that makes my life very interesting, because I do a wide variety of things. I meet builders, musicians, artists and hobby players, and I go to trade shows and festivals. Technically speaking, I’m the “salesperson,” but I always say that my job is not strictly sales. I feel that I am the “connector”—the person that gets people to know us, our company and our builders.

I’m the person that helps buyers find their banjos. We love to make beautiful banjos, people love to play the banjo, and— some of those people love our banjos.

CG: Is there a moment in your career that you would consider the most joyous or brightest?

TO: I have a number of them, but in hindsight, my most satisfying moments have come from knowing that I’m part of the crew here and not just the boss’s daughter. To know that I can communicate with the guys and my father, and they with me, and that we can solve problems together despite all the complexities that arise in a small quirky business where it’s very difficult to make a living—and to do it for 17 years—I’d say that’s my proudest achievement. The relationships are most important to me…

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Want to read more of this interview? It continues on our website: www.museumofmakingmusic.org/notes CG: Tell us about your banjos and what people are looking for in them.

TO: The three main styles that we build are old time or open back, bluegrass and jazz. Most of the people that come to us are quite proficient in their instrument or have been playing it a long time and have honed in on a particular sound and look. Our customers have a particular sound that they are looking for.

economic downturn in 2008. And that surge has continued.

I think when people are having a hard time, they tend to go back to simpler things, like homemade music. There’s a craving for something other than what you can buy on your iPhone, a counter reaction to all this information technology that our lives are so absorbed in.... something you can hold and be creative with. And the banjo certainly fits the bill…

Music is such a great way to create community.

CG: What are those sounds?

TO: Well, there are trends. Fifteen years ago you couldn’t sell an open back banjo with a 12" pot, and now it’s what everyone wants. Right now what old-time banjo players seem to want is warmth—an earthy sound, a mellower tone and varying degrees of projection. When bluegrass banjo players come to us, they are looking for something different from the sound of the traditional pre-war, 5-string resonator banjos made by Gibson. Bluegrass players are looking for good balance, clarity of tone and volume. Not too thin, not too hollow.

Jazz players are looking for sustain, volume and great playability up the neck (ease and clarity of the notes coming out of the instrument as you play up the neck).

CG: Do you agree that we are experiencing a rise in the popularity of the banjo?

CG: Yes. My father, who’s been in the business for 55 years now, says he’s never seen it like this before. He’s always said that the instrument has its ups and downs in popularity, but he’s never seen it this strong. The media has a lot to do with it, of course, but things were picking up even before the 7

Our current exhibition, The Banjo: A New Day for an Old Instrument, continues through October 31! And make sure you ask for our popular “Banjo Activity Booklet” at the front desk when you visit the exhibition.

NON-PROFIT ORG U . S . P O S TA G E PA I D PERMIT NO. 245 CARLSBAD, CA

5790 ARMADA DRIVE CARLSBAD CA 92008

Wu Man, Lee Knight & James Makubuya Saturday, August 9 @ 7 PM Chinese pipa virtuoso, Wu Man, is joined

by Lee Knight on the banjo and James Makubuya on African harp. The trio will showcase the cross cultural blending of sounds and instruments.

August 30

August 9

Tony Trischka Saturday, August 30 @ 7 PM One of the top banjoists in roots music, Tony Trischka has influenced a generation of banjo players. His work with the Allman Brothers, Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley and Pete Seeger has become a core of musical reference.

THE MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC, A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT INSTITUTION, IS A DIVISION OF THE NAMM FOUNDATION.

September 20

Bob Carlin & Cheick Hamala Diabaté Saturday, September 20 @ 7 PM Clawhammer banjoist, Bob Carlin, is joined

by GRAMMY nominee Cheick Hamala Diabaté, master of the ngoni, a traditional Malian instrument that is an ancestor of the banjo.

www.museumofmakingmusic.org general info 760.438.5996 tickets 760.304.5844 8

design : leah roschke studiografik photography : sam wells, gary conaughton