The KO News is excited to announce that this issue’s Musician of the Month is senior guitarist Jack Gold.
Jack has been playing guitar since he was six years old and has over 12 years of experience playing. “My mom has videos of me jumping around the kitchen with Queen or Green Day playing,” Jack said, “and I’d always play air guitar.”
Jack has played the guitar at many places throughout his music career. “I played at the Yard Goats stadium before,” Jack said. He has also played at other school events such as Hewett Day.
When reflecting on how he started playing the guitar, Jack shared that it wasn’t one moment, but rather an appreciation for music that he has always had. “It wasn’t really a choice where I woke up and said, ‘I’m going to be a guitar player,’” Jack said. “My parents kind of knew, and I guess I’d always loved music.”
One piece of advice Jack has for up-and-coming guitarists is that practice makes perfect. “For the first five or six years,” Jack said, “I would only play when either my teacher was there, or I had to play because my teacher made me practice. But it wasn’t until I got into seventh grade where I really started playing on my own every day.”
Jack has gone to KO for many years, and it has helped him a lot in his musical career. “Through middle school,” Jack said, “I played the clarinet in concert band, and I also played guitar in the jazz band in seventh grade, but I did one show with them in sixth grade. There have been multiple options that way and Mr. Millen has been super supportive of me.”
Jack shared that the teacher who has been most encouraging has been performing arts Department Chair Todd Millen. “He was my advisor freshman and sophomore year,” Jack said. “Being in two of his bands, to kind of have that outlet, I’d come from jazz combo and then go straight to advisory group some days.”
When talking about his future in musicianship, Jack seemed to have pretty big ideas. “I hope to maybe start a band with some of my own friends,” Jack said.
We thank Jack for his many years playing the guitar for us, and we hope to see more from him in the future.
