Editor’s note: Wildlands is produced by Outlaw Partners, publisher of Explore Big Sky.
On Sept. 25, representatives from three schools in Big Sky received a gift that will be played by students almost immediately: Breedlove Guitars for each of Ophir Middle School, Discovery Academy and Big Sky Community School. The donation, made through Breedlove’s partnership with Outlaw Partners and Wildlands Festival, is meant to strengthen music education across the community.
“We really want to help continue music education, and schools certainly feel at a disadvantage at times,” Angela Christensen, Breedlove vice president of operations, said. Breedlove Guitars, founded in 1990, builds acoustic guitars by hand in Bend, Oregon, with a focus on feel, sound and quality.
“Especially in smaller communities where maybe there aren’t as many resources available for kids, whether that be afterschool programs or just support systems, an instrument can really be a support system in and of itself,” she said.
The donated instruments are Breedlove Performer Pro models from the company’s Organic Pro collection. They have a smaller, parlor-sized body and a narrower nut width, which makes them easier for students with smaller hands to learn on. Each guitar has a solid wood top, back and sides.
For Tim Sullivan, who teaches music at both Ophir Middle School and Lone Peak High School, the guitars arrive in a program already built around them.
“Guitar is the foundation of our music program and so students are playing guitar from sixth grade onwards,” Sullivan said. “These will be instruments that will be in the hands of students starting today. Getting an opportunity to play high-quality instruments is something I really believe inspires students, and I’m really excited about the opportunity with Breedlove Guitars.”
Music is part of the curriculum for every student in grades six through ten. The program centers on popular music, and students often choose the songs they want to learn. Ninth graders recently tackled different songs by Coldplay, The Lumineers and Creedence Clearwater Revival and “Zombie” by The Cranberries.
The goal goes beyond the classroom. “How do I set these kids up for a lifetime of playing music?” Sullivan asks. He sees guitar and keyboard as lifelong instruments.
Students also have access to music recording studios, practice rooms and electronic instruments that plug into headphones. Those let several drummers or keyboardists practice at once without drowning each other out, and each student can work at their own pace.
The program is growing. This year Lone Peak launched an IB Music course for 11th and 12th graders, a two-year, pre-college-level class that lets students earn college credit. Its five students formed a band (drums, bass, two guitars and keys) and made their debut at the school pep rally this fall. The course covers blues, classical, electronic and Afro-Cuban music, along with music theory.
“There’s so much just innate enthusiasm for music right now,” Sullivan said.
At Big Sky Community School, the guitars are already in circulation. Head of School Jeremy Harder said students can reserve them by signing up for a time on the school’s internal app, and he hopes they’ll play a role at an upcoming Friday garage band competition. The event is part of the school’s “clan” system, in which students across all grades are grouped with an adult leader, which Harder calls “a great time for peer leadership and multi-aged relationship building across the school.”
Christensen, who has helped deliver Breedlove guitars to other schools in Oregon, said the reaction from teachers stands out.
“It’s just so cool to see the impact with the kids and the teachers,” she said. “Kids get excited and everything, but the teachers really, you can tell it means a lot.”
