Congratulations to Max on being selected as our May Student of the Month!
Max began lessons with SoundLife way back in 2018 as a guitar student under the instruction of our Program Director / Co-Founder Chris Vazquez. Though Max had prior instruction under fantastic teachers, he and Chris developed a great working relationship and never looked back. Now, after nearly six years, Max is graduating from high school and heading off to college in the Fall.
In the beginning, Chris tried to get Max involved in Bands, Jams, and Showcases, but these were not for him. Eventually Chris came to understand what the guitar meant to Max. For him it was a fun outlet, a hobby, and not something he wanted necessarily to share with everyone, but instead, something he wanted to keep more for himself. After this revelation Max’s progress really soared. His lessons came into focus as Chris was able to provide Max with the tools to be more free on the instrument. These tools helped Max learn to improvise, anticipate song forms, and learn by ear with the ultimate goal being autonomy for Max so that he could continue to enjoy the instrument long after lessons ended.
Throughout the pandemic Max stuck with virtual lessons, even participating in our Virtual Showcases. In this environment Max learned some of the most complicated and intricate music, taking the extra time and care in spite of not being able to meet in person. By the end of pandemic Max had learned entire songs from guitar greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Slash.
In Max’s senior year of high school he was challenged to learn 30 songs before he graduated. Chris and Max created a playlist together mixing old and new material from throughout their six years together. Week after week they diligently chipped away at the list. Today, we are proud to announce that they reached that goal. As Max prepares to finish up highschool and move onto the next chapter, he won’t be leaving lessons empty handed. He will have a playlist of songs, all of which he can play from top to bottom. We foresee some dorm room jams in his future. Max’s commitment, dedication, and excitement for the instrument are all characteristics we love to shine a light on, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have had him as SoundLife a student for all of these years.
Q&A: Get to Know Max!
What do you like most about taking lessons?
Being able to learn the songs I love, the songs I hear on the radio.
What is your ultimate goal with music?
To have it be a lifelong hobby. It’s something I love just to do for fun.
Who's your favorite artist (and why)?
The strokes. I love their music. Album by album it’s all good and all very different.