Music in the Mountains!

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a short guitar workshop at the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado. We – myself, my wife Sinéad, and our friend Debbie – took a flight on August 9th from San Diego to Denver. Then we rented a car at the airport and drove up into the mountains to Estes Park.

Sinéad and I stayed in a cabin on the Rocky Ridge campus above the town of Estes Park, while Debbie was based in a hotel in the center of town. All our meals and even snacks and drinks during Happy Hour were included in the package that Sinéad and I had, which created a social and friendly atmosphere.

Workshop and Practice

The workshop started on Sunday and finished on Wednesday (August 10-13). We had six guitar students, five of us being engineers, which added color to our conversations and stories. Our instructor, Colin McAllister, was wonderful, and he is a professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He himself began by studying aerospace engineering before transitioning to music as a career.

Each morning, we had "Technique Olympics" and especially exercises from the book Pumping Nylon. We learned how to hold the guitar correctly, and how to place our hands in the right position on the guitar. Then, we did exercises on the fingerboard to gain control of our fingers.

Each afternoon, we prepared for the jam session, selecting a few lively pieces in blues style. The jam itself took place late in the evening, outdoors in the same location as Happy Hour. Everyone got a chance as lead guitarist, with others playing rhythm as background. The music brought joy to the other participants, both piano students and their instructors.

The Performances

We were learning different styles in the workshop — Tibur and Mike W. practicing classical works for the performance, Paul with mandolin along with his guitar, and the other three of us focusing on other aspects - blues and rock music, for example. Our student showcase was on Tuesday evening (August 12). We played an ensemble piece together that we had prepared and practiced with Colin, and Tibur and Mike W. played a jazz song together that represented the class beautifully.

I liked everyone I met. Tibur, a man originally from Hungary, was the first person I met. He was very friendly from the start, and later in the course, he showed me a guitar pedal he had, as well as an app for making recordings. He was a very humble person, and he had the ability to play difficult songs on his guitar.

As the program drew to a close, we thanked Colin and the other students, and the program concluded on Wednesday (August 13) with the faculty concert. Colin played solo, adding variety to the events by playing classical and bluegrass numbers, which drew great applause from the audience.

Social and Natural Experience

During the course, Sinéad and Debbie spent their time exploring Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. They saw a couple of moose, many elk and deer. They went up the mountains to an altitude of 4,000 meters, and saw great mountains and beautiful views. Debbie told us that a herd of elk came into the town streets near her hotel and the police were managing them!

On our way down from Estes Park on Thursday, we stopped in Boulder, Colorado and walked along Pearl Street – a famous street there – and ate a tasty meal before returning to the airport. On the way, we had another special highlight — a black bear climbing an almost vertical rock face, jumping from rock to rock and looking down curiously from time to time at its enchanted audience.

Final Reflection

In truth, it wasn't just a workshop, but also a social event. A community spirit grew among all of us at the camp, between pianists and guitarists. We were all there as learners who had a great love for music, so there was a kind of connection between us beforehand.

Rocky Ridge gave us new insights into music and how to play our musical instruments better. But there was more to it than that. It's a special camp, located in a beautiful place up in the mountains. There isn't much WiFi available, and isn't that a wonderful thing. Additionally, nobody was talking about politics. So, we had a rural sanctuary for ourselves up in the mountains. It reminded us what it means to be human and conscious, and that the world isn't always as bad as we think.

Now that I'm back home, I'm practicing my guitar with new energy and fresh ideas. I hope to return to Rocky Ridge again as soon as possible. As Bono said: Music can change the world because it can change people.