THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Alex Cundiff picked up the guitar in 2023 and is now at the level where he sings and plays on stage.
OAKWOOD — Thirty-three-year-old Alex Cundiff had never picked up an instrument before May 2023.
However, his grandpa played guitar while his grandma plays piano and other instruments.
“So, I’ve always been watching grandpa play,” Cundiff said. “The beginning of 2023, I started singing more with the worship team at Calvary Baptist (Church) in Tilton.”
But he had always wanted to learn guitar: Leading a band, particularly the worship team, would be easier if he learned the instrument.
One of Cundiff’s fellow praise team members, James Snyder, started going to Dustin Liggett’s Rebelsfare Collective, a music shop among other things.
Cundiff came along one time to sing.
While there, Liggett asked Cundiff if he wanted to start learning to play the guitar.
“I said, ‘OK,’” Cundiff said.
Cundiff told Liggett his goal was to stand up at church and lead worship on Easter of 2024. Liggett told him he could learn to play guitar earlier than that.
In September 2023, four months later, Cundiff first got on stage and played; and last fall, he became the leader of the praise team.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Cundiff said. “It’s been a learning experience, learning this thing in only 15-16 months here.”
He’s gotten increasingly comfortable playing.
“It’s been fantastic,” he too said of working with Liggett. “I’m a competitive person and he’s been pushing me.”
“To see where we started off, and I never touch a guitar, it’s been fun,” he said. “I love grabbing the guitar and just playing.”
He played his first solo performance at the Covington, Ind., Fourth of July Festival.
“That was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it,” Cundiff said.
He also played with Liggett at Sleepy Creek Vineyard winery in Oakwood.
Cundiff said his passion, and the reason for doing the lessons, is Sunday morning worship at church.
“I love bringing new songs to the church, including old songs but making the old songs sound a little newer,” Cundiff said.
His goal isn’t contemporary music or old traditional.
“It’s unity,” he said. “I think we’re to a place where I wanted to be. It’s really awesome to see the younger and older generations singing together.”
The songs he enjoys playing include “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham to “Behold Our God” from Sovereign Grace.
Cundiff’s brother also wrote a country song he’s been working on, he said.
Inspired by watching as kids at Liggett’s Rebelsfare Collective learn to play instruments, Cundiff said he hopes to get his son and daughter, ages 5 and 8, taking lessons from Liggett too.
“Dustin’s been a big help,” Cundiff said.
“I love watching youth grow up and play music,” he added.
Another music instructor who teaches drums is Mel Hoaks.
”It’s all drumming,” he said. “I was actually trained as a symphony percussionist.”
He’s been a competition drummer. He has played with popular local rock and roll bands and has the Cobalt Blues Band.
”It’s a really good set up for me to be in here to teach these kids,” Hoaks said of Rebelsfare.
He hopes to get back to 15-20 students. He has 10 now.
He has students in their 40s, teens and six-year-olds.
Some go on to college with music scholarships.
He taught at B & J Music previously for about 12 years.
He’s impressed at those who work toward their music passion.
Liggett too will combine kids on lessons, make them play together and support each other.
He used to do student recitals when he first started the shop, but it became too much.
During Muncie’s Fall Festival on Sept. 28-29, there will be a student music showcase. It will be completely student run, with a student emcee, student sound person and the students performing. This is like an advanced First Gig music camp event, Liggett said.
He said he will be nervous and stressed about it, but the students will be prepped and ready.
”I think it’s going to be really cool. It’s just going to be cool to see young people have that,” Liggett said, about building on it too. “There’s not a music scene, I don’t feel, for young people. There’s not teenagers starting garage bands anymore.”
He hopes young people can get a spark that they can do this on their own.
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