By Maggie Beamguard
Insider Editor
When Jude Mansur was 16, her then-boyfriend gave her a guitar. He had noticed something about her, telling her: “If you’re going to go around humming and singing all the time, maybe this will be something you might want to learn.”
Fifty years later, Mansur still has that first guitar and she still knows by heart the first song she learned to play on it, Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.”
“He saw the spark,” she said.
That spark has followed Mansur through a life that has taken her from the Gulf Coast to Seven Lakes.
In retirement, she hopes to help other people find or rediscover their own musical spark.
This is the idea behind Seven Lakes Acoustic Sessions and Listening Room, a twice-monthly gathering where musicians and listeners can pull up a chair.
The sessions are held from 6-8 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month at the Seven Lakes North Activity Room, 118 Firetree Lane. Musicians are invited to play “in the round,” while listeners can simply enjoy. Poetry and other readings are also welcome. The Listening Room is for adults only throughout the Seven Lakes community including Seven Lakes North, South, and West and McLendon Hills.
“I want to help build community,” Mansur said. “This isn’t about me.”
Mansur spent 25 years in the aviation industry, including nearly two decades with a company whose founder she describes as an aviation pioneer. She worked in marketing and became immersed in the world of aviation, even completing ground school.
Music, though, was always there.
She taught herself guitar and eventually became a performing musician with three-hour gigs. But her own experience learning the instrument shaped what she hopes to offer to others.
Mansur remembers seeking instruction without quite knowing how to articulate what she wanted from her instrument. Now she leads new players with a question: what do you want to do with your guitar?
A statistic by a study by the guitar maker Fender resonates with Mansur’s experience. Fender has reported that roughly 90 percent of first-time guitar players abandon the instrument within a year.
Mansur believes many adults who try to learn guitar aren’t necessarily looking to become technically accomplished guitarists. They may simply want to accompany themselves while singing a Johnny Cash song. Those are two very different goals.
“There’s just so much unnecessary shame carried,” Mansur said. “And too many guitars put away that are a constant reminder of failure.” She doesn’t believe that the failure belongs to the student.
She maintains that early instruction fails to help the students focus on long term goals. For someone who wants to learn how to accompany themselves, she says, “They found a home in me.”
The Listening Room is an easy, welcoming space for adults of all skill levels to share advice, tips, and backup vocals. Accomplished players bring songs to sing. New players watch fingers fly on the fret boards and are free to ask questions. Mansur says it isn’t a class and it isn’t a recital. It is a place where people with that “spark” can gather. Mansur is particularly interested in bringing together players at different levels. Beginners may learn from more experienced musicians, while experienced players may discover someone who needs an instructor or collaborator.
The group has ranged from two to 12 people since it began last spring. But Mansur isn’t discouraged by a small crowd.
One of her most meaningful gatherings had just her and two other participants, both aspiring guitar players. They were able to talk about what they wanted to learn and where they were struggling.
“I want people to get those guitars out of those closets,” Mansur said. “Shd the shame. Let’s just start from the beginning.”
Mansur says the group is still evolving and what happens on any given evening depends on who walks through the door. “Someone who’s interested in music,” she said is going to find their community. They’re going to find their people.”
For questions, gate-entry information or to join the mailing list, contact. sllisteningroom@gmail.com. Residents of Seven Lakes West and McLendon Hills are welcome. Mansur asks that they email ahead of time for gate admission.
The group also has a social media community at Seven Lakes Community Listening Room on Facebook.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
