December String Recital

On Sunday December 18th, the students of violinist Lisa Joseph and cellist Dave Busch put on a recital for friends and family. They also put together a last minute chamber group and performed Pachelbel's Canon in D. For more information on the lesson program please visit http://www.johnstonbaughs.com/lessons.asp .

Please enjoy the videos.

Holiday Brass Recital

On Friday, December 16th, 2011, Johnstonbaugh's Music Centers in Bridgeville hosted its first ever Holiday Brass Recital.  The performing musicians are students of Mr. Ryan Wolf, a trumpet player and employee of the store, and Mr. Kevin Maurer, trombonist and band director at nearby South Fayette Middle School.  The age of the students ranged from beginning band students all the way to seasoned high school pros, representing the South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, and Peters Township school districts.  Mr. Maurer and Mr. Wolf were extremely proud of how their students performed, and can't to have another recital.

For instructor bios and more information about lessons at Johnstonbaugh's Music Centers, please visit our website at http://www.johnstonbaughs.com/lessons.asp

2011 South Hills Rock Band Camp Concert

On August 21st we held our second annual Bridgeville Rock Band Camp Concert in which 8 students showcased their abilities and efforts by putting on a rock concert, assisted by our private instructors. This year we had three bands including the members of the new Rock Your Strings camp.
Here are the videos from the show. Enjoy!

Group 1: Mainstream Hipsters




Group 2: String Beans



Group 3: Tone-Deaf Capybaras



Thanks to everyone who came to show their support, to Peter's Place for providing the venue, and of course to our wonderful instructors Dave Busch, Ryan Kantner, Quinn Lema, and Lisa Joseph for making it all possible.

2011 Rock Band Concert

On June 26th, we held our third annual Rock Band Camp Concert at Glade Run Presbyterian Church. Over the previous month, sixteen students forming four bands worked on selected songs with the aid and guidance of our lessons instructors.
Here are the videos from the show. Enjoy!

Group 1: Nerds Gone Wild

Group 2: The Meeps

Group 3: Peaceful Johnstonbaugh's and the Active Mutation

Group 4: Five-Man Wolfpack

Congratulations to all the students who worked so hard to put on a great show.
Thanks again to Glade Run Presbyterian Church and thanks to our instructors Ryan Kantner, Dan Burgun, Ben Hartenstein, and Izzy Arlet for helping to make this all possible.

Late May Jam Session

I think Memorial Day weekend conflicted a bit with the last jam session, as not too many people were able to come. But, those who showed up really put their best efforts forward. Here are some highlights.

We hope to see everyone at the next session, this Friday June 24th at 6:00 at our Bridgeville store.
Songs on the list are:
Green Onions - Booker T and the MG's
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
My Generation - The Who
Going Down The Road Feeling Bad - Traditional

Early May Jam Session

Our fourth jam session was held at the Bridgeville store on Friday, May 6th. We saw some familiar faces and some new ones. Thanks to Dave for running the show, thanks to everyone for coming out,  and I don't really have much to say about it other than "Awesome!" Here are the videos.





















We hope to see everyone at the next one.

It's Recital Season

Once again we're pleased to be able to showcase some of the young musicians that volunteered to perform for family and friends. Last Sunday, May 1st, it was a recital by Lisa Joseph's violin students. Congratulations and thanks to all who performed, and thanks to Lisa for putting it all together.

As always, please enjoy the videos from the performance.

Student Recital

Every instrumentalist, regardless of level or ability, should get the chance to perform on a regular basis. It's good practice for things to come, friends and family always appreciate it, and it's also fun to show off what one has learned in lessons and all those hours of practice at home.

On April 16th, sixteen of Dan Burgun's students put on a recital at our Gibsonia store for family and friends. Please enjoy these videos from the performance.

March Jam Session

Well, they just keep getting bigger and better. We saw a lot of familiar faces and some new ones as well, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it as it went well beyond seven o'clock.

Now, there are two major goals for these sessions. The first and foremost is to have fun. The second is to learn from other musicians, also while having fun. Dave brought up some good points between tunes that I hope everyone will take to heart. He said that when we're playing together, we need to keep both of our ears open; one for what we're playing and one for what everyone else is playing. Music in an improvisational setting such as this is all about back and forth, and to accomplish that, there needs to be communication between members of the group. That involves both listening and eye contact, and when that communication is established, great things are possible.

I think that's enough rambling for now. On to the videos!

Starting off, Ed, our veteran musician wanted to play us a tune before heading off to celebrate his 83rd birthday with his family. Dave accompanied him on Dueling Banjos.



Many happy returns, Ed!

Next up we had a trio play Cream's Sunshine of Your Love.



Followed by The Meters' Cissy Strut.



And Bring it On Home, by Led Zepplin.



And for a little change of pace, Herbie Hancock's Chameleon, with our own Ryan Wolf laying down the melody on trumpet.



It seems like everyone wanted to play Iron Man, we even had a saxophone player step up to join the usual rock band instrumentation.



Epic


Then, we got a blistering solo guitar improv.



And wrapping up the evening was the epitome of jam tunes, a bearless rendition of La Grange by ZZ Top.



Thanks again to everyone for coming out and to Dave Busch for running the show. The next session is set for Friday May 6th and stay updated with future dates and song lists by checking our Facebook page.

Retirement

Recently, Chuck Pazman, one of our repair technicians and later repair shop coordinator finally decided to retire. I wanted to share a little bit about him with everyone, so I sent Chuck an email asking about his educational and musical career. He was nice enough to oblige me with a quick run down.

Chuck graduated from Oakmont High School in 1955 where he had been a protégé of Jay Matchett. He attended Carnegie Tech and graduated in 1960 with Bachelors of Fine Arts in bassoon performance and music education. Chuck continued his education with graduate studies at Duquesne University, Kent State University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Chuck spent three years in the North Braddock School District, now part of Woodland Hills School District before joining the staff at Franklin Regional in 1963 as the elementary instrumental specialist. He worked there until his retirement in 1996.

Chuck also worked as the owner/operator of Chuck's Woodwind Repair from 1976 until he joined the staff at Johnstonbaugh's Music Centers as a repair technician in 1996. In 2004, he became the Repair Shop Coordinator until January 2011.

To celebrate the repair shop staff took Chuck out to lunch in mid-February.

Pictured: Mike Visnick, Justin D'Ambrosio, Gerry Branca, Chuck Pazman, Bob Johnstonbaugh, and Jim Rossetti.


We'd like to extend our thanks to Chuck for being such a vital part of the business and wish him well in his retirement.

February Jam Session

We held our second jam session this past Friday and the idea seems to have taken off because attendance was up and we got almost everyone up to the front to participate.

In the spirit of last time, our three most avid performers started us off, this time with a rendition of Paranoid by Ozzy Osbourne.



Continuing on we had a solo instrumental version of The Wind Cries Mary by Jimi Hendrix.



And Ed played and told some stories, sharing what he's learned from years of experience.



Dave helped out some jamming on an E blues.



And again with a larger group.





It takes a lot of guts to get up and play in front of people, whether they're friends, families, or strangers. We really applaud everyone involved for putting themselves out on the line, especially when most of them haven't played together before. Please enjoy these selected clips from the session.

















Thanks again to everyone who came to play or support those who did, and of course a special thanks to Dave Busch for running the show. We hope to see everyone at the next one; March 25th 2011 at 6PM.

The songs to work on for next time are:
Chameleon - Herbie Hancock
Sunshine of Your Love - Cream
Cissy Strut - The Meters
Iron Man - Black Sabbath
Bring it on Home - Led Zeppelin

Welcome and Jam Session

I've come to find that there is so much going on in the community musically that our website just isn't the right place for it all. I'll be using this blog to announce and, hopefully document the various community and education-oriented events that are occurring.

I think a good place to start is our recently-begun jam sessions in our Bridgeville store.
Now anyone can sit at home and toil away endlessly on their instrument (or as the hipper crowd calls it, woodshedding), but some times you just want to go jam with some people. But, some times you just don't know where to find those people. We aimed to change that dilemma.

On the 28th of last month, we held our first open jam session from 6:00-7:30. To our delight, 25-30 people showed up to watch or take part, ages ranging from 9 years old to 80. Playing emcee and general jam organizer for the evening was our bass and cello instructor Dave Busch, see his bio here. A good time was had by all and we look forward to the next one next Friday, February 25th at 6:00.

Please enjoy these photos and videos from the session.























Again, the next one is Friday, February 25th at 6:00 PM at our Bridgeville store in Chartiers Valley Shopping Center and anyone can join in. Hope to see you there.