October 8, 2023
Rod Goelz has been a powerhouse in the music community of South Central Pennsylvania for over twenty years. Some might remember him as the author of "Basses Loaded" while others might remember him as the band leader for the popular funk group, Groove Jones. Through all the years, though, he has been a music teacher, or more specifically, "a renegade music educator," according to Goelz. "I am not bound or limited by state rules and regulations."
A few years ago, Penn-Mar Human Services approached Goelz about doing a music and wellness class for them. As he was about to discover, he had as much to learn as his students who have special needs. The learning is about music: tempo, rhythm, and so on; but the real education takes place in students - and Goelz--navigating group dynamics, increasing self-esteem, making decisions, and discovering new talents. "It's a tremendous dopamine boost," he says. "Through the use of music, movement, and song, we increase the natural production of endorphins."
Goelz has always done needs assessments for his music classes, and then developed a program to meet those needs. "This was no different," he says, "and it's as good as anything I've done in my life.
This is natural for me to do; my path has led me to this. It's a lot of stuff that I can't take credit for. This is a blessing, and I'm grateful."
In high school, Goelz says that he was largely invisible. He was not in band or orchestra because he played guitar rather than a traditional orchestral instrument. These experiences and related feelings of being excluded inspired Goelz to promote inclusion for everyone in his music programs.
Rod Goelz holds degrees in Music Industries from Millersville University. He is a published author of "Basses Loaded" and hosts the We Are Guitar Nerds podcast. Recently married, Goelz resides in York County, PA.
For additional information, please see https://www.pamusicandwellness.com
Amy Mummert
A York County guinea pig owner with a writing problem.
October 5, 2023
At 36, Shine Delphi is a well-known, well-established musician, particularly in South Central Pennsylvania. For this blog, I asked Shine to reflect on his musical past--on some of what got him to where he is today.
Shine's first experience performing was at age 13 in a middle school talent show. The 3-piece band played a medley of Metallica and Black Sabbath songs, and they won second place. HA!
As a young adult, Shine began to busk, which he says made him a much better musician. "No better way to practice your craft than to just show up in a random town, open your guitar case, and see what happens. I met a lot of my greatest friends busking, too. I still busk whenever I get the opportunity."
Shine's influences have grown to focus more on jazz and blues than his early years with metal.
His signature resonator guitar and moving lyrics come together to make particularly engaging live performances
Already having spent roughly 2/3 of his life as a musician, Shine continues to love performing, saying, "Music has the power to create special moments that I've never found anywhere else. It's cool to see someone smile from a song, start dancing, or tap their toes - anything to show that they're listening. I feel that energy, and it seems that I start playing better. Sometimes these moments happen where the energy just keeps growing, and I find myself musically doing things I was unaware I was able to do. The audience seems to feel it, too, and it creates this one-of-a-kind good feeling."
Check out Shine's bio, music, and videos, as well his schedule of upcoming shows at https://www.shinedelphi.com
Amy Mummert
A York County guinea pig owner with a writing problem.
September 21, 2023
My Rural Radio musician Heath Hardin (Olds Sleeper on MRR; Heath James on Facebook) has been with MRR since 2008. What you might not know is that he recently began a podcast, "Tone and Mood," that focusses on poetry and the interpretive aspect of it. The basic idea is that someone reads another person's poem. Then ambient music or sound is added by the reader-or-the reader can collaborate with another person for their sound/music. As of today, seven episodes have been dropped, and several more are lined up.
So what happens in the course of an episode of the podcast? Well, this is like when a band is asked to describe their music, and you get this long list of hyphenated adjectives. First, I'd say "Tone and Mood" is aptly named. Of course, the poetry and accompanying music/sound sets a certain tone and mood, but so does the discussion Hardin has with his podcast guests. There is such an organic flow to the discussion/interview part of the podcast-and in THIS podcast, it WORKS. The poetry and accompaniment are presumably chosen to create a certain mood by design. Whether by design or serendipity, the discussion that follows winds down short and long roads: some full of wonder, others gritty. All honest.
"I want all types of poetry to be featured," said Hardin. "I'm mainly focusing on HOW poetry affects people." There is a diversity of poetry lined up for the podcast including Thich Nhat Hanh, Sylvia Plath, Shel Silverstein, and Robert Frost. If you are interested in reading a poem and doing ambient sound for it, please contact Heath Hardin at ToneAndMoodPodcast@gmail.com
When he's not podcasting, Hardin can be found teaching English, which he's done for 20 years - and still "loves" it! More recently, he began teaching creative writing to senior citizens, as well.
Amy Mummert
A York County guinea pig owner with a writing problem.
"Raised in Pennsylvania" first aired on MyRuralRadio in late 2008.
September 11, 2023
Visual artist Jean-Michel Basquiat said, "art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time." With that thought in mind, I am thrilled to have My Rural Radio (found online at MyRuralRadio.net) return. Redesigned and relaunched, My Rural Radio continues to make space for original music.
One of my favorite things about MRR is that, by design, it offers a sort of permanence to music. When musicians play at a venue, it's over when it's over. With MRR, original music can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Need to hear some American Hollar? It's an easily accessible click away now. And later.
Amy Mummert
A York County guinea pig owner with a writing problem.
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