Exploration #11 filled the room with a smiles and a variety of sounds! This exploration was facilitated by 3 wonderful, passionate musicians. Ms. Friske introduced her cousin, Bryan to the project and the rest was history. Bryan, Christophe and Riley filled our hearts and minds with wonderful music and heartfelt stories showcasing their journeys.

As we do every week, we started off hearing how each of our speakers found their passion.

Bryan’s  world has been built around a passion for music. His career,  friends and environment is all thanks to living with this passion. His journey started with the fact that he was   lucky enough to have a piano at home. Bryan would sit there a couple hours a week just banging around and experimenting. He tried formal Piano lessons, it didn’t quite work out so he switched to the guitar and enrolled as a student in a few local music schools over the years as well as hours of self-training in between lessons. He had an older brother who played the drums, so in no time the two were playing along together.  Over the years Bryan started many bands with many friends who had also awakened their passions in a similar way. In 2010 he followed his passion all the way to Hollywood to attend the Musicians Institute, and since have toured all around North America and the UK with his craft. By surrounding himself with anything musical (ever since the day he was first inspired by a favourite song), he has ended up a music teacher running his own studio surrounded by other talented musicians. Bryan is 100% happy with this life, and it’s all due to the awakening of his passion. Bryan’s advice to you-whatever your passion is, follow it! Follow it to the fullest extent. 

Christophe first picked up the guitar at the age of 15. A bit of a late start but hasn’t put it down since. The reason behind his passion for the 6 stings is that he simply wanted to play the music of his idols (Nirvana at the time). His desire to play grew and eventually he decided to further his education based around Music. This magically turned into his job. Teaching and performing and now, repairing guitars. Christophe believes that working in this industry is pretty awesome. He enjoys passing on his knowledge and passion and it is even better, when he can inspire people along the way.

As a child of 4 years old Riley’s mother enrolled him in piano lessons. He didn’t truly love piano until grade 9, when he realized he could play the songs from one of his favorite bands, Iron Maiden, just by listening carefully and finding the notes on the piano. At that moment, Riley’s passion for music was born. He was finally able to create the songs he really wanted to hear on the piano, and thanks to his mother, he had the skill to play. A year later Riley picked up guitar, and four months later, bass guitar. He played bass so that he could join a high school metal band, and he found that a lot of his piano skills transferred right over to bass. Riley’s  passion grew larger and larger as he was able to perform for his friends and even write songs of his own!

Right after we heard from Bryan, Christophe and Riley, we bombarded them with our wonderful wonders. Right after that, they showed up what a “jam session” was all about. We were enticed by the various sounds each instrument made and how smoothly they connected to one another.

It didn’t take long for us to get started! We quickly split off into groups and let the magic take over! Take a look at the adventures we had exploring the instruments and seriously taking advice from our experts.

Today was pretty wonderful! Seeing the connection people have through music was magical. We watched, listened and allowed ourselves to feel inspired. Thank you for sharing your passion with us.

To learn more about how our musicians are connected check out their digital footprints:

Leroux Music
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Christophe
Calgary Guitar Repair Shop
Calgary Guitarist