Teacher Interview with Billy Sanders at Martucci Music
Billy, remind me, why exactly did you want to get your degree in music?
I’ve always loved music. I was raised watching Sesame Street and MTV every day. I wanted to study music since JR high and I had an offer to study guitar at a university out of high school but no one in my family had been to college so they told me they wouldn’t help me because there was no money in being a music major. So I ended up in the army to get money for music school but I stopped playing. The only people I was envious of were the musicians I would see performing. So after years of dreaming about it, I quit my job and moved back to California to go to school for music in East Sacramento area.
What does music do for you? What draws you to it? What’s to love?
emotional arc of a good story, but sometimes you just want to feel a good beat too lol. So there is that also. I listen to the lyrics a lot. I really want to appreciate the craft of a song. Some writer somewhere bled for it and in one way or another, everyone should try to appreciate that
What about the act of creating the music yourself versus listening. What’s in that for you?
What keeps me playing is that sometimes, if I’m lucky, the universe aligns and for a moment every note the band plays is absolutely perfect and beautiful and resonates with your existence. That doesn’t happen a lot so I keep practicing and playing chasing that feeling.
What about solo playing? Is there something in that?
Solo playing is nice because it’s free. There is no one else to worry about so there is lots of room for expression. It’s also a very naked experience which can make it difficult. Often I think of it as a challenge to my creativity. Which way do I go? How do I play myself out of this musical corner I’ve created?
Nice. In one sentence, centered around the value you personally put on your musical passion, what is your message to the world? Maybe something you want all your students to experience? Something you’d want them all to walk away with?
Keep playing! It’s not a race with other people, it’s a self-imposed challenge. The only way you lose is if you stop. You have all the time in the world so have patience with yourself. We want to play forever!
Join us at Martucci Music for guitar lessons with Billy