Never Too Old for Rock and Roll

Update to this post - I've gotten a bit of interest in John's work so wanted to add a link to his site - Check it out!

#CreativeMusicInstitute or www.creativemusicinstitute.com

Over 10 years ago, I started taking guitar lessons from John Lahovski at Creative Music Institute in Emmaus, PA. I was one of his first 10 students and John suffered through my attempts at learning guitar for a couple of years. But I didn't practice as much as I should, and I frustrated easily and I became a cranky student. Between work and other obligations in my life, my career as a budding rock star died after two years.

Fast forward to 2025. Recently retired without the stresses of the job and a bit more time on my hands, I contacted John to see if he was taking on new (old) clients and was happy to hear that he would welcome me back.

John and I were somewhat kindred spirits - both had a love for music and also IT geeky types, John balanced his day work in IT with his side business teaching music to everyone from young kids to old farts and his music studio is littered with keyboards, drums, guitars, bass guitars and everything else in between. As you can imagine, John is a gadget guy - lots of amp and special effect pedals and sampling devices and kick ass sound system that makes even my sound come across like, well - not too shabby.

We have been meeting for a couple of hours on Thursday evenings and while I'm not on par with the rest of the people in our group, I feel as though I'm learning from them. And as we play, I am trying to get better and have the encouragement of the rest of the "band" - some amazing talent that makes playing not feel like a lesson.

As you may have guessed, I like to write and have written a few original songs. I bring the lyrics to class, and the group turns it into a song. Much to a few family members dismay, I wrote a rap song that I thought was half decent, a couple of songs about the beach and my love for my wife and a few heavy metal or ballet songs. I may put the lyrics up at some point on this site for your entertainment!

If you've got a rock and roll animal inside you, I encourage you to take a chance and try it out. I'm not ready to trade in my jeans for leather pants just quite yet, but I'm glad I decided to go back and follow a dream.