Tag Archives: Piano

KRF Bands Rock the Organ like Santana!

Getting ready for the move has meant a discovery of buried treasure in the KRF warehouse.

This past month, a Hammond Organ was discovered. Ruben Guaderrama, our guitar instructor, and Skylar Allingham, our student intern, muscled it up to the Band Room to get it cleaned up and working.

At first there was a bit of a problem. The warehouse contained a Leslie speaker cabinet to project the organ’s sound, and the Leslie is usually standard technology for this model. But our particular Hammond was not compatible.

Ruben says “The Hammond is a staple of older rock & pop records, we really want the kids to be able to experience the full spectrum of music. While a keyboard has settings to simulate an organ’s sound, it’s a very different experience to learn on the real thing and KRF strives to be authentic.”

Eventually, a new speaker cabinet was found in the warehouse, that only needed a few small repairs.

Vicki Woods, our piano instructor, is also excited to introduce the organ to her students. Vicki originally learned to play on the organ and organ music is one of her passions. When we spoke to Ruben he told us-There’s a second organ that needs some repairs. Soon we’ll have a Hammond in the keyboard room and one in the band room–that way everyone who wants access will have it right at their fingertips!

Do you love the organ? Ask Mr. Ruben, Ms. Vicki or student, Drew Karsanow, for a demonstration of the unique sound.

    

KRF Profiles - Vicki Woods

My name is Vicki Woods, and I’ve worked at Kids Rock Free® for eight years.

I think my favorite thing about working here is that I love watching the kids grow, both in talent and inches. I just step back sometimes and marvel as I watch life unfold before my eyes.

Sometimes I look at a class that is really getting into a song, and I remember how some of them struggled at first. I remember a kid’s “light-bulb moment.” It’s great when they finally get it, how to do something on their own. Unfortunately, a teacher’s job is to work herself out of a job: that’s when a student takes the knowledge and runs with it. When they find their own voice, and mature into a true artist.

I love working for Kids Rock Free because we help instill good habits that apply to all aspects of life. Practice, persistence, determination, problem solving, are all things that music education brings. We also help kids find, within themselves, the optimism and confidence that they really do have the ability and the drive to learn.

I also try to show them how to practice efficiently, spending less time but accomplishing better results. This can be applied to homework habits, and scheduling chores to take less time. That will leave more time for fun!