The art of music with B.A.’S Gary Lindner

We have been witness to great concerts over the years so we finally decided to take a look at the music area and its highly skilled teacher, Mr. Gary Lindner.

It is a spirited session on this day with the first song we’re listening to called “Buffalo Head” a jazz classic. The veteran Sec. 5 rhythm section is here anchoring this group and showing why they’ve been “Cool Cats” all these years. It is Mylissa Koeppe on the drums boogeying all over the kit like there’s no tomorrow threatening to light up the dance floors of the world; it’s the bass thumping of Kevin Earle, and the groovy laid-back style of Taylor Scott-Covey on the keys.

But Gary Lindner makes sure everybody has a turn as Robert Mish takes over on drums and Zach Soles takes a turn on the keys on Chicago’s classic, “25 or 6 to 4”. The brass and horn sections also sound more polished than a brass doorknob. In between numbers though, there’s some chatter, but it is that Lindner look that settles them. Audiences have become accustomed to his attention getters through the years so we also had a chat with this passionate music teacher in an exclusive interview the previous week.

We’ve become accustomed to that famous Lindner back- to- the- audience stand at concerts when people are talking while the music is about to start, but it’s only in the name of listening. “First of all, music is to be heard and listened to, people are coming there and I assume their intent to come is to hear their friends, their children, whoever, they’ve come to listen to the music, so if we are to respect the work and the music, I always assume the people want to hear the music and it has to be done in a quiet atmosphere,” says Mr. Lindner in a passionate tone.

Gary Lindner, has been around teaching music for close to30 years with the last 9 years in this area, and like all skilled music teachers plays his share of instruments. He plays the piano and drums fluently, but plays about 11 instruments functionally, and as he also mentions, like a handyman, is always curious about learning new instruments.

Gary Lindner speaks proudly about the accomplishments of his bands and students through the years. Over the years, his bands have won about 15 plaques from bronze to silver and one gold at the Quebec Jazz Fest and a few years ago 3 students obtained scholarships for the Vanier music program, but it’s always a struggle. Mr. Lindner continues, “the money issues are a struggle, the instruments are a struggle, the whole issue of music education in schools is a problem, yes we say music is lovely, you can’t run a music program on minor funds, there has to be an influx of money, the piano has to be tuned, horns have to be fixed, etc, it’s an expensive program.”

Music is a subject where you have to give 100 %. As Gary Lindner states, “if you were to write a history test and get 60 % you pass, but if I were to produce 60% of a piece at a concert, you’d probably walk out.”

LET THE MUSIC PLAY!