Please visit www.giveforward.org/musicforteens2 to donate after reading about our program.  Thanks!

The Music Program at GILA Ptarmigan Hall began in 2004 in a 10’x10’ room with a few guitars in poor condition. Now we're in bigger space that can accomodate a little more of our instruments.



Teens from all over Alaska choose to live at Ptarmigan Hall so they can attend the public vocational school Galena Interior Learning Academy (gila.galenaalaska.org/).   Though the district does not currently have a music program, we at the Hall provide music classes and activities when the teens are not in school. The district is unable to fund our music program needs, so we depend solely upon the kind gifts from people like you.



Most of our teens hail from Alaska native villages that have no road access (fly-in only). Their schools do not offer music education because of lack of funding, so when the teens arrive here, they are hungry to learn.



Teen Resident Kaleb Sanford’s Musical Journey at GILA Ptarmigan Hall:

During his freshman year at GILA, Kaleb Sanford became interested in learning to play the guitar. When his fellow teens played guitar, Kaleb kept a watchful eye, asked questions, and then tried picking during personal practice time in his dorm room. “I would set goals and practice until I achieved them. I worked hard on my picking hand and studied how the other guitarists played,” says Sanford. Though he learned to play some riffs and began to read guitar tablature, Kaleb had no understanding of rhythm and time, and therefore couldn’t jam with other musicians or play songs correctly.

As the music program slowly grew, we implemented guitar classes and performance opportunities, which piqued Kaleb’s interest. “Ted and Karrie drilled counting, timing and rhythm into me. No matter how frustrating that could be at times, I was determined to learn it. It’s in my head now and I won’t forget it.”

“I keep pushing myself. Now I can play in bands, and everyone loves to hear us play those songs that were once difficult for me, like ‘Bring Me to Life’ and ‘TNT’.”

Since then, Kaleb joined Ptarmigan Hall’s Musicians’ Union and has rocked his guitar at nearly every concert presented by our music program, from Headbangers’ Ball to the Alaska Rural Energy Conference. But getting on stage wasn’t always a walk in the park for Sanford.



“The first time [I performed on stage] I was sweating bullets,” says Sanford as he recalls his freshman year. “Before I got on stage, friends were supporting me. But behind the curtain, I had to go on my own little journey. I froze. My knees were knocking. I was pumped with adrenaline. Then I hit my first riff and my music started flowing; I realized it wasn’t so bad. Now I can go on stage and play with no problem.”

In addition to bolstering confidence, discipline and happiness, Kaleb says music has helped him steer clear of bad behavior. Rehearsing, attending concerts, and going to workshops & other music program activities offer constructive ways for he and his fellow residents to spend their spare time. “I devote my free time to playing guitar. My curiosity would wonder off otherwise – I have a knack for trouble.”

As a senior in high school now, Kaleb Sanford muses about the future after reflecting on his musical past. “When I’m super old, I want to be like ZZ Top and still shred the guitar. Maybe I could be a good influence for young guitarists.” During his junior year, Kaleb attended the  music program's guitar workshop led by Country Music’s Living Legend Award Winner Dennis Agajanian; he was impressed. “Dennis was a really good influence on me. He’s in his 60s and he still is great on guitar. He told stories about playing with Johnny Cash, and about getting away from drugs. I want to be a good influence like that one day.”

Kaleb is one of scores of teens who attend music program activities at Ptarmigan Hall. Your support is the only way we can continue to provide music education at Ptarmigan Hall.

Music Program Activities:

We currently offer the following classes: piano, guitar, drums and voice; we plan to add bass guitar and violin soon, as volunteers become available.



In addition to classes, we present Open Mic night one to two times each month so that our teen residents may perform music or poetry in a comfortable, laid back environment. Over one half of our entire residential population attended our last Open Mic in the music room.



In the spring, we present the RIFF@N*HOOK Music Festival, the crowning gem of our music & arts programming. With the help of the Alaska State Council on the Arts and people who value music education, we offer more classes and music activities, plus give teens the opportunity to teach elementary students what they've learned throughout the year. Read more about it at www.myspace.com/riffnhookmusicfestival



The Musicians' Union formed last year. It is comprised of our teen residents who wish to step up to a higher musical level by preparing for performances. Last year, MU played at the following shows: The Alaska Rural Energy Conference, The Yukon Jamboree for Sobriety and Ptarmigan Hall shows Rockzilla and Headbangers' Ball.



This year, the Musicians' Union has already played at the Yukon Jamboree for Sobriety and will soon perform at the Ptarmigan Hall Visual Arts Festival.



The only way that we can continue to provide our teens with music education is from donations and support from others who value it as much as we do.



Donations of every size are welcome, as they allow us to buy new guitar strings, drum heads, violin strings and other maintenance repair items. Otherwise, the used instruments donated to us would gather dust, and our teens would not have such a wonderful, constructive way to use their time and express themselves.



Thank you for your kind consideration. We hope you join our fundraising team!