Student of the Month: July 2024 Edition
The summer heat is here and so I bring you a few Students of the Month whose skills are keeping things hot at Rock 101. Our July students are constantly on the move. You’ll find them not only at Rock 101 but also in various sports fields, drama departments, and reading/writing in their spare time. See if you can keep up!
Emily Armijo
Here’s the scenario: You are being sent to a deserted island, but you are allowed to bring one person with you. I call dibs on Emily. Why? First of all, she is hilarious. Not the laugh out loud, goofy sort of funny (which, for the record, I also enjoy). Emily is the deadpan, you-can’t-tell-if-she’s-joking-or-not-until-you-see-the-sparkle-in-her-eye type of funny. Secondly, Emily is a seriously hard worker. She is not only taking guitar lessons with Ken B., she also takes piano lessons, plays ukulele, loves to read fantasy fiction, plays soccer, runs track, and acts in local plays. Between her work ethic and sense of humor, we’re going to turn this deserted island into a waitlist-only resort.
Emily has been taking lessons with Ken B. for about 4 years. She started out playing acoustic guitar, transitioned to electric guitar, and is now focusing on acoustic fingerpicking. She loves playing guitar because it allows her to relax and gives her the opportunity to just hang out with herself. Even when a new song or skill is challenging, Emily appreciates how the act of practicing allows her to get out of her head.
Ken B. enjoys being Emily’s instructor because of her dedication to learning. Says Ken, “She is busy as heck but she still puts in the time to practice, no matter however many other things she had going on. And she always maintains a great sense of humor.” We can’t wait to see what you learn next, Emily!
Julia English
This easygoing, upbeat student is a Rock 101 veteran. Julia has participated in one-on-one lessons, Summer Sessions, as well as Band League. Don’t be surprised if you find her in the Songwriter’s Collective in the fall as that’s the next undertaking she has been contemplating. Not only does this busy bee love music lessons, you can also find her playing soccer, basketball, writing short stories, and skiing in the winter.
Julia loves music because it presents so many possibilities! You will never run out of new lessons and techniques to learn. Not only that, but she loves the variety of music that is out there. As a musician, she gets to choose to express herself any way she wants. Isn’t that fun?!
Julia is currently taking lessons with Jameson to learn guitar, vocals, and ukulele. Jameson is excited about Julia’s progress in learning a new instrument. Says Jameson, “She recently switched from uke to guitar and is THRIVING! Multi-instrumentalism is very special, and she has the interest and hunger for musical knowledge!” Jameson enjoys Julia’s positive attitude and her interest in learning new songs. Not only that, but he is incredibly proud of her performance at the Spring Showcase where she played guitar and sang Taylor Swift’s Cardigan, without even looking nervous. Keep inspiring us, Julia!
- Danielle Parker