Lewiston, Maine, U.S.A. – After 31 years of teaching orchestra to elementary school kids in the Lewiston Public School District, Greg Boardman is embracing a new musical life.
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Boardman, who is a co-founder of Maine Fiddle Camp, said that now that he’s retired, he wants to play in nursing homes and jails.
Also planned are more musical performances, dances and playing at his church. Boardman hosts the weekly Oasis of Music at Trinity Church in Lewiston and said he planned to offer private lessons, too.
In short, since his retirement last year, Boardman has wanted to spend more time sharing music with everyone.
He said that he wants musicians who are just starting out to know that what they are doing is coming from the heart.
Growing up with music
Maine Fiddle Camp is a summer program for musicians of all ages that Boardman founded in 1994. He said that he was not stepping back from Maine Fiddle Camp, as that is, in some ways, easier for him and a nice event.
In an interview with Youth Journalism International, Boardman talked about his start in music.
He grew up with music, Boardman said. He listened to it in the car, his parents sang, and his older sister played the ukulele.
But he never had access to a band or orchestra in grade school.
He said he was inspired to play the violin in college after hearing the UK band Fairport Convention, with their electric violin and folk tunes.
He wanted to play with others, and if he had to teach students to do that, he would.
Becoming a teacher
He decided to teach, Boardman said, because he wanted to share music and spark interest in students to learn it. He not only taught kids how to play instruments, but he also made it such a happy experience that showed he was having a great time as well.
Sometimes during his elementary school orchestra classes in Lewiston, he’d be playing a song with the students, and as they played, he’d start to improvise. It was obvious to students that he was getting sucked into it.
Boardman passed his enthusiasm, happiness and love of the music onto the children. He saw their potential and gave the students the time they deserve.
He chose Lewiston, Boardman said, because most public schools in Maine don’t have an orchestra available to students at all. He wanted it to be a public school, as that was open to more students.
He submitted applications to other schools, but none of them worked out.
But while he was at the University of Southern Maine, a job opportunity in Auburn opened up. He said he was getting pretty desperate as his family needed him to work, so he took it.
After a bit though, Auburn cut its orchestra program.
Boardman then ran a private studio for a bit until the job in Lewiston opened up. Once he settled in Lewiston, he said, he felt embraced by the community.
In all the ways Boardman continues to share music today, one lesson from his teaching years remains strong.
There is no such thing as bad music, Boardman said, as long as it comes from the heart.
Charlie Wallis-Martel is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
