The Vail Valley’s first Guitars For Vets class a six-string success
Organizers hope for more participants next summer
Courtesy photo
A group of local veterans recently learned first-hand about the power of music through the valley’s first Guitars For Vets sessions.
Jon Love ran the summer program. He splits his time between Florida and the Vail Valley. He leads Guitars For Vets sessions in Florida, and was a little surprised to learn there were no chapters in the valley. So Love linked up with John Webb, who leads a chapter in Grand Junction, and started a local chapter.
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Each chapter does things a little differently, Love said.
There’s a lot of music theory in the Florida classes, Love said, adding that his own style is based more on learning from the internet. That’s how he learned, he added. Theory isn’t always necessary, he said, noting that “more than half the people you listen to (including the Beatles) don’t read music.”
“When YouTube came out, I had free lessons, and I took off from there,” he said.
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Working quickly, Love rounded up a handful of veterans, found a room at the EagleVail golf course and got to work.
Learning the basics
Within the first few sessions, many of the veterans 鈥� ranging in age from 35 to 78 鈥� were playing some basic tunes.
Vietnam-era veteran Pete Thompson is one of those older veterans.
Thompson called Love a “first-class instructor,” saying the group started with some old folk and country songs.
Thompson said he was once paralyzed on his right side. Learning guitar helped him with the dexterity in his hands, he said. And, he added, the class sessions with five other students was a great time.
“Those old Kingston Trio and Beach Boys songs, they come right back 鈥� it’s really a wonderful thing for some of us old veterans,” Thompson said.
Moses Gonzales, also in his 70s, had never played guitar before. As someone who battles arthritis in his hands, he said learning some basic chords has helped him regain some of the dexterity the years have taken.
This has been a busy summer for Gonzales, who also this year took up golf through a program called PGA Hope. He learned about Guitars For Vets while聽at the EagleVail Golf Course one day and thought it sounded like it might be fun. The course turned out to be more fun than he imagined.
“I really enjoyed it,” Gonzales said. More than just helping with his hands, learning chords helped him mentally.
“I’m hoping we can expand it 鈥� next year we’re really going to promote it,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales said he’s learned a few Jimmy Buffet songs, including “Margaritaville” and “A Pirate Looks at 40,” as well as a few others.
“I’m having a great time,” he said.
A gift at the end
The students in the program use instruments owned by the program, but at the end of the course, everyone gets songbooks, instruction manuals and new Yamaha guitars to keep them playing.
Love said if there are more participants next summer, he hopes he can find a room at Colorado Mountain College for a little more space. He hopes to continue playing with this summer’s group next summer, in either formal or informal settings.
While Love didn’t serve himself, he knows a lot of veterans, and he’s sympathetic to what many of those former service members face. As many as 20 veterans die by suicide every day, he noted. Music therapy can help, he said, and he wants to help.
“I really appreciate what these guys have gone through,” Love said. For those who used to play, it’s fun to see them pick up the instruments they once played. And for those, like Gonzales, who never played, it’s neat to see them learn new skills.
“Just the satisfaction of learning 鈥� it’s been really great,” Gonzales said.
