Creative Q&A with John Hartman

WASILLA — On top of teaching music lessons while owning and operating Matanuska Music, John Hartman is a full-time advocate for music and the positive effects it brings.

Below is a question and answer interview with Hartman discussing his personal journey with music, and the dynamics of music and creative education.

Q: How long have you been making music?

“I think I was about seven years old when I started. I started on the saxophone… I got kind of an early start on it which definitely helped things… It quickly branched out from there… It wasn’t until I think it was in sixth grade, our band teacher needed a bass player so that the school could have a jazz band. That was the very first time I ventured into the string family. And unfortunately, it never left me, and I’ve been in love with strings ever since... Anything with strings on it, I absolutely love. That’s where my focus has been since my first middle school year.”

Q: So as you got older you kind of developed more and dove deeper into music?

“Absolutely. I’m not the sole person to credit in there. I was very, very blessed with musical instruction at a young age, so I had guidance and most importantly I knew where not so spend my time on an instrument and where I could flourish as a musician.”

Q: How did your music develop after high school?\

“When I graduated high school, I was offered multiple scholarships in state, but unfortunately I couldn’t afford the remaining tuition. So, what I elected to do was continue to study my music on my own personal time and then continued my education as my funds would allow… Music’s kinda unique in that there’s a lot of places to find education. A lot of them are uncertified, yeah that’s true; and a lot of them are certified. But, either way, there’s still this vineyard for you to find great sources of information.”

Q: What does music mean to you and has it changed over the years?

“It really has. At first, I’m sure I joined a long line of guitar players expecting just like bus loads of ladies the minute you start tooting your guitar, and it really wasn’t it. It was a harsh reality but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me in the guitar,” he said with a laugh. “ It’s very vast… But, if I were to sum it up, someone asked me once, if you were to lose one sense, what would it be? I went through all five senses and the one I never, ever wanted to give up was hearing… It’s not unique to just a musician… Another great strength in music is it’s not an elite club for some… Anybody can jump in… There’s no ’no’ when it comes to music.”

Q: What value do you see in the modern mentor and apprentice model for learning music and other creative pursuits?

“Finding a good teacher is really, really difficult… You gotta be able to make that decision on your own. If you feel that you really, really connect with a teacher, glue yourself to them, annoy them and listen to everything they say. Just like a sensei, the direct translation of sensei is ‘he who walked before me.’ So, when you look at it in that light, you’re trying to walk down the same path that this person walked down, and the ultimate goal is to not overthrow this person, but to surpass them.”

Hartman is a member of the AK Acoustic Project, a rotating group of local acoustic musicians founded by his friend Shane LaBoucane. They perform at Tailgaters every Thursday at 7 p.m. For more information, call 907-631-8112 or visit the AK Acoustic Project Facebook page.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com