MPR’s Leif Enger reports on travelling educators who have created a musical road school in Northern Minnesota. Enger interviews both educator and student alike on this newfound access in learning how to play an instrument.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) Set Patty birkeland down at a piano and she hits those keys without even looking hand her a violin though and it's back to the red beginners book the one with the great big notes.
(00:00:26) Renee's was
(00:00:28) quite at the age of 33. Does Patty bjorklund come to the Park Rapids High School once a week to pluck violin strings
(00:00:35) growing up you here as a student, you know, if you're in a music class, that's what you hear. You hear the grand violinist doing his master work on stage and it's just a beautiful instrument and and as a small town girl, I never had access
(00:00:50) to it access is what lots of outstate, Minnesota. Never had when it came to the sort of Music they most wanted to play violin steel guitar accordion banjo. These are instruments. They don't teach in most small towns schools. That's why to Bemidji men of started the Northwoods School of Music where ever they go says instructor Jeff Menton. The response has been almost Fierce the students greedy to learn anybody that wants to learn a string instrument if they really have it in their heart in their mind that they want to learn how to play to me. That's a great challenge for me because I'm going to make sure they learn to play mentor. And his partner Dale blotter pay visits each week to Park Rapids Fosston and blackduck lessons range from 25 to 50 dollars per month depending on class size the to have ample credentials in teaching and Performing blotter has the country music TV show Hee Haw on his resume and both also teach at a Bemidji Music Center working through each towns Community Education Program. They can teach almost any musical instrument not offered in the local
(00:01:49) schools remember fall out on the way down. Just relax, that's your relaxing time and lift and work on the weigh-in. And try to use more are Frank you're wasting air almost go completely closed in
(00:02:15) Frank Haas. And Donna homes are in the midst of their second lesson together. They are self-described raw beginners though. They've already learned that distinctive Myron Floren sway. Donna's accordion is a small delicate pinkish instrument. She bought at an auction years
(00:02:31) ago. I've watched a lot of The in players and several of my friends are players and it just seemed like a neat interest instrument to learn and it's been sitting in the basement for 10 years.
(00:02:43) A number of the music students are like Donna far beyond their Traditional School years some of it seems to depend on the instrument if you're 40 or older, you're more likely to pick the accordion if you're 16 and wearing a Bill and Ted t-shirt. It's electric guitar Park Rapids High School band director. Tom Wood says having more music instruction. Unavailable has made his job easier.
(00:03:05) The kids are always asking me to give guitar lessons and I don't have time and it's very popular instrument. And unfortunately the kids know that I play and so hardly a day goes by when kids don't ask me for lessons or somebody doesn't call me looking for somebody who can give guitar lessons. So I think it's great to that that these people are coming here and doing this. There you go a little bit more. That's it. I'm hitting you on something you didn't practice on I can tell okay now play may not feel better. But it's going to be better in future. All right
(00:03:50) in this afternoon's group. Banjo lesson 3 would be Pickers concentrate on Dale blotters technique. They include a Park Rapids School employee a retiree from the nearby White Earth Indian Reservation. And a local Mother of to her daughter Stephanie who is 9 and lounging on the band room floor says her mom always wanted to play
(00:04:09) banjo. She said she dreamt about it. Sometimes ladyfinger, Minnesota Public Radio Park Rapids.