January 12, 2015 at 4:45 p.m.
NCSS students get a lesson in the school of hard rock
NCSS students get a lesson in the school of hard rock
No, the students weren't screaming about inter break. The sound coming from the NCSS wing was professional music being performed by Keith Larsen, brother of NCSS teacher Kristin Higgi.
Larsen, a professional drummer based out of Los Angelos but originally from Rhinelander, was in town for his sister's wedding when he decided to pay a visit to the school to not only perform a few tunes for the kids, but to sit down and talk with those who have an interest in music.
Larsen does a bit of everything when it comes to the music profession. He plays live with various bands, teaches and does recording sessions with bands, so he has a wealth of knowledge that he was able to share with the kids.
"I came in with my mom - she wanted to come in to see Kristin - so I went in and met up with (NCSS teacher and musician) John Santy and (his father) Jeff Santy (also a musician) and we just got ourselves settled in and then we played a couple of tunes," Larsen said.
"Then a couple of the kids asked me some questions and we chatted a little bit before playing a couple more tunes, chatting some more. Then, some of the kids had to go, but other kids - the more music-oriented kids - stuck around and we talked a little bit more, a lot of straight-up music geek type stuff. Those kids had really specific questions about how to play and how to practice and things like that. It was really cool."
"Realistically, I could have hung out there for hours talking with the kids," he added.
"I get really excited talking to kids about that stuff. It's very inspiring to me."
Being a Hodag himself, Larsen said it was inspiring to be able to come home and talk shop with aspiring young musicians.
"It was great. I just loved it," he said. "It feels really good to be able to bring this type of experience back and be able to share it with kids that are so into music. My goal is to give them whatever information I can. If I can help some kids to realize that this is completely doable and that it ultimately comes down to a lot of hard work and tenacity, if I can help them realize that at an early age and give them some ideas and some motivation to help increase their enthusiasm and their passion, that's my goal, to help them."
As much as the kids loved having a professional musician's brain to pick, Larsen said he had just as much fun as they did.
"Ultimately, the goal is to help these kids. Sure, I get some gratification being able to do that, but really, it's all about them," he said. "It feels really good to be able to assist them and help to foster their enthusiasm and their excitement. If I can do that, then my mission is accomplished. And that's really rewarding."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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