Instructor Spotlight

Garrett Hope

Dr. Garrett Hope would rather be golfing. Okay, not really (maybe). He’d rather be able to enjoy the moments when his students “get” something in a lesson –that sure sign that they are developing a genuine love and enjoyment of what they’re doing.

Garrett teaches guitar, upright and electric bass, beginning piano, and composition at Harris. Prior to joining the Harris teaching staff, he taught composition, music theory, music technology and ear training at the collegiate level. A lover of all types of music, Garrett offers his students knowledge and training in a wide variety of styles—rock, pop, alternative, blues, jazz, religious, and much more.

While his main instruments are guitar and bass, Garrett’s musical path was anything but straight forward. As many musicians experience, young and old, sometimes it takes some trial and error, and the right inspiration at the right time, to find that perfect bond between a musician and their instrument. Read Garrett’s story of choosing an instrument in his own words below, and get to know a little more about this fantastic member of the Harris team!

(But before you do, be sure to watch Garrett’s collaboration with other Lincoln musicians in the making of an entry for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest.)

More About Garrett:

What is your main instrument?
Bass, both upright and electric. I started university as a guitar major, but switched to bass halfway through my freshman year. I started studying piano when I was five and began studying clarinet when I was nine. I performed on clarinet in wind ensemble and marching band through university. I began studying guitar in middle school. I’ve also been singing my entire life. I’m not much of a soloist, but I love choral ensembles!

How long have you played your instrument?
Bass for 16 years, guitar for 23 years

How did you get started playing your instrument?
This question is so complex to answer! I was not given a choice about studying piano as a five-year-old. My parents just had me and my siblings do it. My parents also tried putting me in Suzuki violin at that age, but I absolutely hated it. In third grade, when children in my school district choose an instrument and join band or orchestra, I wanted to play saxophone. However, my mother, who is a classically trained musician, elementary school music teacher, choir director, and worship leader, wanted me to learn a “real orchestral instrument,” so I went with clarinet. I cringe at those words now. Oh well. In middle school my church hired a new worship pastor who had a classical guitar degree from USC, but was really into blues and jazz. This was the first instrument I really chose for myself and instantly fell in love with it. I would spend hours playing. At university there was a need for good bass players and I was able to meet that need. I quickly became an in-demand player and found I enjoyed playing the bass even more than the guitar. I realize now that part of the attraction was that I could absolutely control the music as a bass player—my compositional mindset was very active even then.

Do you play any other instruments?
I can get around and figure out most instruments, but I would never perform on them. I do a lot of sequencing and composition in the computer, so I could say the computer as well.

What is your favorite kind of music?
Don’t have one. I’m really a musical pluralist. If the music is done well I can enjoy it.

Do you have a fun or inspiring story to share about teaching lessons?
My favorite moments as a teacher are when a student finally “gets” a concept or skill. At those moments the eyes go wide and the face beams. These moments are joy for me because the student begins to enjoy what they are doing even more.

What is your hometown?
Arvada, CO

Do you have any good stories about where you grew up?
From my parent’s front door you can see most of the Front Range (the first set of Rocky Mountains). Four 14,000ft peaks are visible as well as Boulder’s Flatirons. I find the mountains extremely inspiring and have a lifetime’s worth of good memories hiking, skiing, exploring, and camping in the mountains. I love Lincoln, but I miss the mountains.

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I love to golf. If I could, I would play 18 holes a day.

What is your favorite food?
One can’t go wrong with pizza and burritos.

What do you think is the best movie of all time?
It’s hard to choose one, but here’s a short list:
The Godfather, Part II
The Matrix
The Princess Bride
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

What is a book everyone should read?
Such as with movies, here’s a short list. I’ve read so many books, and average 2–3 month it’s really hard to say.
William Goldman, The Princess Bride (This is the funniest book I have EVER read)
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
Annie Proulx, The Shipping News

What is a little known fact about you?
I can clap with one hand.

March Student of the Month

Noah Kohl

She may be small, but she’s got it all! Nine year old Noah Kohl, a piano and violin student at Harris, is our March Student of the Month. Noah’s goals with piano lessons are to “become great” at piano and note reading. She’s making terrific progress! Her piano teacher, Mai Butler says, “Noah is such a motivated student who always impresses me by preparing for her lesson very well. Her dream is to be a concert pianist and she is working so hard to make her dream come true. Her upcoming debut solo piano recital will be a great first step for her journey.”

Yes, you read that correctly—Noah is preparing for a solo piano recital to be held this April. She’ll play about 25 minutes of her favorite music from lesson books, mostly from memory. That’s quite an accomplishment and we can’t wait to hear the result of her hard work!

Besides her dedication to music, Noah is also a fan of math and…chicken! Read more about our newest Student of the Month, and be sure to congratulate Noah when you see her around the studio.

More About Noah:

How long have you taken lessons?
Piano: 3 years
Violin: 6 months

What other instrument(s) do you play?
Vocal (chorus)

What are your favorite songs?
Just Give Me a Reason and Fur Elise

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
Petting cats, math, and shopping

What is your favorite food?
Chicken

What are your favorite classes in school?
Math, reading, P.E., art

What are your goals with music lessons?
To become great at piano and note reading

What is something new and exciting you have learned in lessons lately?
Lots of classical songs

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
My first recital with my friend

What is your favorite quote?
I may be small, but I’ve got it all!

What do you think is the best movie of all time?
Mr. Peabody and Sherman

What is a book everyone should read?
Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

What is a little known fact about you?
That I’m half Albanian

Do you know any good jokes?
How do basketball players cool off at games?
By all their fans!

March Pet of the Month

Meet Maddie, a yellow lab who belongs to David and Andrew Swanson, piano students at Harris. Their mom, Amy, says, “Maddie is as sweet as they come and a very smart girl!  Maddie has a March birthday (she will turn 3) and we feel so "lucky" to have her.”

A Piano Tuning F.A.Q.

by Garrett Hope, certified piano technician and
owner of the Nebraska Tuning Company, LLC

Pianos are beautiful instruments, but there is often a lot of confusion about the care and maintenance they require. Below are some of the frequently asked questions asked of me. I hope you find this information useful! If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 402-875-6271, or tuner@nebraskatuningco.com.

How often should my piano be tuned?
Piano manufacturers recommend a piano be tuned at least twice a year. In geographic regions, like the state of Nebraska, that experience four seasons it becomes very important to tune your piano every six months. With the change of temperature and humidity from winter to summer and back again, the wood in your piano experiences a tremendous amount of contraction and expansion. This, along with the general quality of your piano, explains why a piano goes out of tune so quickly. Can some pianos get by with only tuning once a year? Yes, but you risk having to perform a pitch raise. The rule of thumb is to have your piano tuned every six months.

When a piano is regularly tuned it becomes more stable so it will fall out of tune less quickly, and each new tuning takes less time. Furthermore, your piano technician will be able to identify any problems before they become a major issue.

What is a pitch raise?
When a piano is grossly out of tune a pitch raise is required to bring the strings back up to the pitch standard of A440. When a piano has not been tuned regularly (I often encounter pianos that have not been tuned for years!) the strings will generally be extremely flat. Simply bringing the strings up to pitch risks applying uneven tension across the piano and string breakage. When conducting a pitch raise, the piano technician will have to do a preliminary tuning to increase string tension before fine tuning, which is why a pitch raise can add an additional 45 minutes to an hour to the regular tuning. Furthermore, if a piano is extremely out of tune or very old, it may be necessary to tune the piano to itself but not bring the strings all the way up to pitch.

I like to use the analogy of visiting the chiropractor for spine care when discussing pitch raises on the piano. If you are in chronic pain a single adjustment might relieve some acute pain, but the underlying problem will still be present. In order to get your body working optimally it will require additional adjustments until you can get on a regular maintenance schedule. So it is for pianos. If the piano has not been cared for it will take several tunings (including one or more pitch raises) before the tuning of the piano is stable. This is, of course, assuming that the piano is of good quality and doesn’t have any other major issues preventing it from being raised up to pitch or becoming stable.

My child is taking piano lessons. How necessary is it to tune my piano?
It is critical that a student hear and experience the music they are playing with an in-tune piano—the way it was meant to be heard. When a child is studying an instrument they are not only learning technique (the how of playing an instrument), but they are also training their ears on how to hear music. Musicianship is a combination of technique, theory (the study of how music works), and ear training (learning to identify scales, intervals, chords, etc. aurally). A piano that is out of tune hampers the student’s development of ear training. This, in turn, can have a negative effect on the overall musical development of the student. You should consider having your piano tuned both as an investment in maintaining the instrument as well as an investment in the musical education of your child.

How much does it cost to have my piano tuned?
The Nebraska Tuning Company, LLC charges $95 plus tax for a standard tuning. If your piano requires a pitch raise it will be an additional $30. If you are tuning your piano regularly (every six months) the cost averages out to only $0.52 a day!

I have a key that seems to stick, can you help with that?
This is a common problem, especially in older pianos. The piano is a large, finely engineered mechanical device with lots of moving pieces. Typically, these pieces are made of wood and move on flanges and pins that can become dirty and sticky, or break, over time. When you call a piano technician to set up a tuning you should let them know if you’re having any problems with the keys and he or she can evaluate the problem while tuning.

How can I find a good used piano?
Many families with children studying music desire to have a real piano for their children to learn on. And rightly so! It is possible to learn a lot of the technique of playing piano at an electronic keyboard, but keyboards generally lack the touch, weight, and sensitivity of a real piano. There are electronic keyboards that offer these features, but their cost is nearly equivalent to purchasing a good used piano. Furthermore, they never sound as good as a real piano.

If you are in the market for a used piano you need to be wary of free or very low cost pianos on Craigslist. Many of these pianos are older and may not be worth the cost of getting back into playing order. Sometimes even family heirloom pianos, such as Grandma’s old upright that she wants to pass on to you, will only be worth the effort and expense of moving it and tuning it if it has high sentimental value.

Many piano technicians offer the service of evaluating used pianos for a nominal fee so consider asking a technician to perform an evaluation before purchasing a used piano. I don’t mean to be so negative though! You might find a real peach out there. A safer bet, and the option I recommend, is to visit Dietz Pianos (48th and R) because they have a great rent-to-own program for used pianos at a very low monthly rate.

Welcome: Jesse McBee

Harris Academy of the Arts proudly welcomes new instructor, Jesse McBee! Jesse will be teaching trumpet, baritone, euphonium, trombone, and tuba.

Jesse McBee is a jazz trumpet player currently based in Lincoln, NE. He graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, and the University of Louisville with a Master of Music in Jazz Performance. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Hixson-Lied Fellow.

Most recently, Jesse has had the opportunity to serve as a sabbatical replacement in the Jazz Division at West Virginia University, as well as working as a Master Teacher for the West Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts. He has had the opportunity to perform with the University of Louisville Jazz Ensemble I as a featured soloist with Jamey Aebersold at the 2012 JEN Conference in Louisville, KY, as well as performing John Zorn’s “Cobra” with the Ophidean Ensemble at the International Society for Improvised Music Conference at the University of Michigan in 2010.

In his spare time, Jesse is an enthusiastic, if not skilled runner and is looking forward to completing his first half marathon in Lincoln in May.

February Pet of the Month

Meet Gir, who belongs to Amy Fairchild, General Manager at Harris Academy of the Arts. Gir loves to attack feet and make trips outside onto the deck, and has a strange fascination with water. 

Do you have a pet you love? Send us a photo for a chance to be featured as the Pet of the Month!

Now accepting submissions for the March Pet of the Month. 

Instructor Spotlight

Lee Heerspink

Lee Heerspink has had his share of both life and musical experiences prior to joining the Harris teaching staff. After getting his music education degree he went on to study jazz performance for his master’s degree. From there, after a few years of private teaching and performing, he was placed in the US Air Force Heartland of America Band in Omaha, NE where he had the opportunity to boost the morale of troops both near and far.

Lee recalls a moment during his time with the US Air Force Band when he played at the bedside of a wounded soldier in Afghanistan. “One of my favorite performances,” Lee shares, “was playing an acoustic version of “Knee Deep” by the Zac Brown Band for a wounded warrior at the hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We asked what he wanted us to play, he said “anything.” He smiled as we quietly sang and gave him a short bedside concert.”

Now, Lee shares his love of music in a different way, by connecting with students in private lessons. At Harris, Lee teaches guitar, bass guitar, and string bass. One of his main goals, right along with the nitty gritty technique and determination with learning any instrument, is to make learning music fun and enjoyable. We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know yet another of Harris’ fine music teachers.

Read Lee’s Bio

More About Lee:

What is your main instrument?
My main instrument is the guitar!

How long have you played your instrument?
I’ve played for close to 20 years (wow that’s scary, I’m having a moment…)

How did you get started playing your instrument?
I spent my first 8 years playing classical piano. I had a wonderful piano teacher, but once I got to middle school I began listening to rock n’ roll and more contemporary music. My dad suggested that maybe I should try guitar lessons, so I made the switch and never really looked back!

Do you play any other instruments?
Piano, voice, upright and electric bass

What is your favorite kind of music?
I love jazz! I’m a huge fan of the guitarist Pat Metheny, and spend quite a bit of time playing and analyzing his solos. That being said, I also have a soft spot in my heart for playing rock and popular music because it’s what got me into playing guitar in the first place!

Do you have a fun or inspiring story to share about teaching lessons?
I used to encourage my younger students in Michigan to practice with the help of candy. I’ll never forget when one of my students, Simon, found out that I had an ENTIRE drawer dedicated to just candy. His eyes got as big as saucers! #mindblown

What is your hometown?
Holland, MI

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
Making dinner with my wife Bethany, walking my English bulldog Edward, and playing video games!

What is your favorite food?
I could eat stir fry every day of the week.

What do you think is the best movie of all time?
Back to the Future. There’s no question.

What is your favorite quote?
“You’ve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.”
-Charlie Parker

What is a little known fact about you?
I was in show choir in High School and loved it! We had a wonderful director named Kerry Daab, and he made it so much fun. Somewhere there are videos floating around of my dancing and jazz hands!