Retired schoolteacher Sherry Kubiak of Griffith bought her first guitar as a teenager growing up in Chicago.
With ensuing responsibilities that followed — college, marriage, raising children and focusing on her career — the six-string acoustical instrument fell by the wayside.
Just recently, however, she unearthed her first love and joined the White Ripple Community Band based at the White Ripple Gallery in the Hessville section of Hammond.
“I wanted to get back into playing, but it had been more than 40 years since I picked up my guitar,” Kubiak said at a recent rehearsal. “This group is great. I’m learning quite a bit from both the instructors and the other members.”
That’s exactly the goal that friends Mary Schons of Hammond and Rich Boban of Whiting wanted to offer when they developed the band a few months ago.
“I had been taking music classes in Chicago and was influenced by the Celebrating Traditions way the Old Town music was taught,” said Schons, a reference librarian by day. “When I talked with Rich about this, we agreed to bring this type of ensemble to Northwest Indiana.”
That vision of joining together musicians of varying skills levels to have fun, become motivated and share with each other became the focal point for the band.
Boban is a piano and guitar teacher, and Schons plays the banjo and other instruments. They bring their expertise and love of music to the table during the weekly rehearsals at White Ripple Gallery.
“We offer the opportunity for musicians to play with others, something they may not be able to do otherwise,” Boban said. “We are, in essence, tutoring them.”
White Ripple Community Band is open to adult music students at all experience levels. Classes are held every Monday for eight weeks. Each class is $15. The ability to read music is not required.
Students bring their instruments to class and learn two or three songs each night in a fun and relaxed environment. Tambourines, washboards and an auto harp also are provided for members who want to join but do not play an instrument.
Picking up a musical instrument after a long hiatus from playing — or starting a musical hobby later in life — can be daunting. But this band works well, as strangers soon find their talents blending through new musical friendships.
Beth Vega brought her keyboard to a recent rehearsal. The Griffith resident began playing three years ago.
“I play in my church band, but I also wanted to try other avenues to stretch my knowledge,” she said. “This (group) is a wonderful opportunity for someone like me, whose only been playing for a few years.”
According to the instructors, White Ripple Community Band proposes to teach simple, recognizable two- and three- chord songs in a variety of genres — folk, rock, blues, early country and Americana.
“We have noticed through our personal experience playing music that most adults wishing to learn a musical instrument often do so alone,” Boban said. “They may take a few guitar or voice lessons, but stop after they’ve learned the basics. Our class would give adult learners a way to put their newly acquired musical skills to use in a friendly group setting.”
In addition to the White Ripple Community Band, which plays at outside events and sometimes Open Mic Night at the Paul Henry Art Gallery in downtown Hammond, another venture Schons and Boban have undertaken is instructing students in a class called Band 101.
The group is similar to the White Ripple Community Band but meets only once a month at the Paul Henry Art Gallery.
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Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Learn more
For more information about upcoming classes for White Ripple Community Band or Band 101: Mary Schons at 219-688-1896.