Brian Halverson of the Honeydogs on Music and Arts Education

How did you get into making music, and how did arts education (or lack thereof) affect you and your music?

I talked my folks into letting me move to guitar from piano in eighth grade – at the time (1983) I wanted to emulate the metal bands I was into at the time. I would watch MTV with my guitar and learn parts (if they were faking them correctly in the videos) and eventually developed my ear for learning from the recordings. Between the piano and the guitar I was able to figure out most guitar parts and bass lines. This kicked me into forming my first cover band in late ninth grade. After three or four years and various cover bands I started to work on writing original tunes and playing in “originals only” bands.

We had to be in choir in fourth grade. In fifth through eighth grade we had to be in either band or choir. It was quite painful for most (myself included) because you didn’t get to play any “cool” instruments or learn “cool” songs but, it was a great program and opportunity realized in hindsight. In ninth grade it was optional so I bailed on the trumpet and immersed myself in the guitar.

In eleventh grade my sister pretty much forced me to audition for guitarist in The J.B. Singers run by James Bontrager at Kennedy High School in Bloomington, MN. We had regular performances and concerts at the school, attended regional and national competitions, and even booked money gigs to fund the program – what great exposure to the music biz. The uniforms were corny and so were most of the standards we played but every year we had a “Pops Concert” wherein anybody from the choir or the J.B.s could tryout with any tune they wanted – solo or in groups. It was a chance for people to express themselves using the tools they developed over the years. I made the most of this opportunity and through this I learned to improve my singing and ear for harmony and was exposed to many new styles on guitar.

James Bontrager was a huge influence on myself and many other students, most of which went on to careers in music. He poured his mind, body, and soul (and even his own money) into the program for so many years. It was a ton of work keeping it alive year after year but he did it.

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