HAMILTON COUNTY

Jon E. Gee of Mellencamp’s band expands Carmel music school

Olivia Lewis
olivia.lewis@indystar.com
Jon E. Gee and his wife, Mrs. Gee, are the owners of Carmel Music Academy.

“Sir Duke” played in the background as Jace Lucas tied a series of notes together on his bass guitar while trying to match a segment of Stevie Wonder’s hit song.

There was no book, no paper and pen, just Lucas and his instructor, Daren Owens, strumming notes together from the heart. That’s how it’s done at Carmel Music Academy.

The new music school, 13295 Illinois St., is owned by Jon E. Gee and his wife. He has performed with David Bowie, Paul McCartney and The Who, among many others, and is now a member of John Mellencamp’s band.

The musical couple previously owned Jon E. Gee’s Music Room but changed the name and moved into a bigger space to allow for more students and more creativity. The couple is hosting a four-day grand opening that ends Sunday with free lessons and a guitar giveaway.

Gee said he began teaching music because he didn’t see an appreciation for creating music being passed down to younger generations.

“It wasn’t that people didn’t enjoy music,” he said. “It was that nobody was taking the initiative to say, ‘You can go out and play an instrument.’”

He has now taught for 21 years.

Gee said his teaching method is the opposite of an approach commonly taught in school music classes. He said he teaches the “wrong way” by teaching students to play first, read second. He said the method works best because it exposes students’ passion for music before they get bogged down by the mechanics of playing an instrument and lose interest.

Lucas has been a student at Gee’s school for seven years. The 30-year-old said he continues to take lessons with Gee and Owens because of the experience they provide. They’re tough but also talented and passionate.

“They’re demanding but not overwhelming,” Lucas said. “Always willing to work with you and always stretch your skills to the next level.”

Daren Owens teaches Jace Lucas to play Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” on Thursday at Carmel Music Academy.

Lucas used the 42-inch television screen in the lesson room to look up songs by Wonder as he and Owens talked about music.

Gee said hearing his own music, and the music made by his students, is in itself the reward.

“I can’t tell you what the rush is like,” he said. “It’s literally like, ‘Why would I ever not want to do this?’”

The couple’s small music school has now expanded to six instructors who teach eight instruments: bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar, violin, mandolin, ukelele, piano and drums. They also provide voice lessons.

The new space has two private lesson rooms, fully equipped with digital accessories to help students search for, listen and play music at their will.

“They’re going to play stuff that to you sounds like noise — and that’s OK,” Gee said. “That’s what it should sound like for a while. And then one day you’ll be sitting there wondering if that’s the kid or if it’s the record.”

The Gees said they take students of all ages because they said they want to dispel the “myth” that music can only be taught at a young age. Gee said many of the older students feel intimidated by picking up an instrument for the first time and asking, “Am I too old?”

Some of their students, like Lucas, wanted to learn the guitar for years, but life got in the way. When they made time to learn, they went to Gee for help.

Gee said students have their own goals and reasons for wanting to pick up an instrument. For some, it’s a release from the real world, and for others it helps them connect with other people. Gee said students don’t have to be or want to be rock stars; they just have to love the music they make.

“Once you get a kid who has a passion for it, you don’t have to tell them to practice, you don’t have to tell them to go to their lesson — you’ll have to tell them to stop,” Gee said. “You can’t just not play music.”

Call Star reporter Olivia Lewis at (317) 444-6126. Follow her on Twitter: @TheWrittenPeace.

If you go

What: Carmel Music Academy grand opening

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 30.

Where: 13295 Illinois St. #117 in Carmel.