Warriors rock out

Gindo offers free guitar instruction for veterans

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BROOKINGS – Connie Johnson, coordinator for Veterans Services at South Dakota State University and herself a combat veteran (Purple Heart recipient) who has battled post-traumatic stress disorder, is open to exploring avenues that have the potential for making life better for military veterans. 

One of those avenues she’s now exploring and using to help others explore is music. 

After she partnered with several local organizations and individuals, the end result is a new guitar-based music program for veterans called Warriors Rock.

Recovery through music

“Through my recovery process, I tried different things to find what works best for me,” she explained. “I’ve learned that there are some gaps in our area. There are a lot of nonprofit hunting events for our veterans. There are a lot of outdoor things. But there are not a lot of things when it comes to the arts: music, painting, that kind of thing.

“I don’t feel like it’s fair that veterans who are not into hunting or outdoors not get the same opportunity through recovery with something that fits them more specifically.”

In 2015, Johnson had been given a guitar through a program called “Heartstrings for Heroes.”

“They reached out to me very randomly. They’re an organization that travels across the country and they select Purple Heart recipients, either living or past, and they give them (or a family member) a guitar.” The gift is tied to “recovery through music.”

While she accepted the gifted guitar, she didn’t learn to play it.

“I do not know how to play the guitar,” Johnson said, smiling and laughing lightly. “I do not know much about music. But that guitar sits in my house every day, just sits there collecting dust.

“I tried; I bought books, I tried an app. It’s frustrating trying to teach myself how to play. And then you have this guitar with a Purple Heart painted on it. It’s very, very nicely decorated.”

Having the guitar but not learning how to play it laid a hint of a guilt trip on Johnson; and that spurred her to take action.

“I’m going to do something in Brookings,” she decided. “I’m going to bring this out of me and I’m going to offer it to other people.”

A really natural fit

With that brainchild to act on, Johnson reached out in spring 2018 to Kristina Gindo, a certified music therapist who owns and operates Music Therapy Empowers, in Brookings, with a question and suggestion: “What do you think about doing a music program for veterans and using and teaching guitar as an outlet for veterans to learn to cope or by having something to do?”

Gindo came on board and they began looking for sponsors and a place to meet. To date sponsors include South Dakota Arts Council, Brookings Arts Council, Sanford Health System, and the Fishback Foundation. The Veterans of Foreign Wars is the program’s nonprofit host.

Gindo sees the Brookings Arts Council as “a really nice fit for the program. We have other music classes here, so it’s just like any other music class.”

She also noted the role that music therapists have in Veterans Administration programs aimed at veterans experiencing PTSD, some of the programs being community-based.

“It’s kind of a really, nice fit,” she said. “We’ll be offering guitar instruction. And we’ll also be offering tools that they can take home to use with the music to help with the expression of anything they’re going through.”

“Guitar is a really natural fit,” Gindo explained as to its selection as the instrument for the program she and Johnson continue putting together. “It’s very portable. If they have to travel they can take their guitar with them.

“In Vietnam there was a lot of guitar music. In the ’70s and ’80s there was a lot of different guitar music. Guitar also has kind of a relaxing timbre. A classical guitar is very relaxing.

“It’s really easy to write songs with guitar, which is something we want to develop in the program, to help them to write their own music and their own songs for their own enjoyment.”

Fun, no pass or fail

Gindo is providing the guitars. She said the program can accommodate about 12 people. The participants in the program are now meeting weekly at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the Brookings Arts Council.

The calendar of events in The Brookings Register notes: “The free program will provide individualized guitar music instruction and music experiences to support veterans. No experience is needed, and participants move at their own pace. To sign up call or text your name to Connie Johnson at 605-651-3649.”

“Because of my background,” Gindo explained, “I have adjusted (my teaching) so beginners can learn a little more easily. We’ll go through the basics, specifics things that I know would be helpful to them, based on their preferences and what they would enjoy and that they can play at home.

“It’s not like a college course where they could pass or fail. We’re going to have fun.”

“I’m ready to learn,” Johnson said, smiling and laughing. “I’m tired of that guitar staring at me.”

Tuesday evening, with a guitar in hand, Johnson joined instructor Gindo and six other aspiring guitarists for a Warriors Rock session, in a room filled with Christmas trees at the Brookings Arts Council. In addition to group instruction, Gindo gave her charges individual attention and instruction in such things as strumming and chords. 

“I’m enjoying it,” said Bethany Gross, an active duty Air Force captain assigned as an instructor in the SDSU AFROTC program. “Music is a big part of my family. My brother plays the guitar. Our family sings.

“I love music and I think it brings joy to other people. It’s great. It’s hard to not enjoy spending time with others and learning something new.”

“I needed to get out of the house and have something to do,” said Brian Thompson, a former National Guardsman “many, many years ago.” He added, “I’ve been playing (the guitar) like for 40 years. I pick differently than they do, but that’s OK.”

“I’ve never touched a guitar,” Cole Hennen, an Army veteran and an SDSU student in a work-study program out of Johnson’s SDSU office, said. He admitted he’s in the program “for the fun of it and just to learn some more stuff.”

In keeping with the Christmas season, her easy approach for beginners, Gindo guided her students through “Silent Night.” And then just prior to the end of the evening’s session, they listened to guitar played with a hint of rock.

Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com